South Burlington's line runs out into the water, and 14.4 of the
30.8 square miles inside it are water. The land figure is the
Census count; the total is the boundary VCGI draws.
Built in 1970, with a minimum of five on duty. A 2,333 sq ft addition for the Fire Prevention Division and Rental Registry was approved by voters in March 2026; construction is expected from spring 2027. Source
Street address
575 Dorset St
Town
South Burlington
County
Chittenden County
ZIP
05403
Coordinates
44.45435, -73.17947
E911 site ID
229130
E911 first mapped
1998-01-01
E911 last updated
2023-01-27
Apparatus
Front line
Ladder 1
2012 Pierce · 1,500 GPM pump · 500 gal water · 75 ft aluminum ladder
South Burlington had its fire and ambulance service from Burlington until 1970. Since then the department has grown from two firefighters a shift answering 190 calls a year to three shifts of thirteen answering about 5,100.
1970
Department founded, with three 24-hour shifts of two firefighters. Engines ran from what is now JayCee Park on Patchen Road while the Dorset Street station was built.
190 calls that year
1988
Station 2 built on Holmes Road, off Shelburne Road; staffed from 1990 with one firefighter a shift.
1997
A second firefighter added to each shift at Station 2, so it is always staffed.
2000
A fifth firefighter a shift: at least two at each station, meeting the state's “two in, two out” rule for entering a burning building.
2004
Voters back fire-based ambulance transport; the department takes patients to hospital itself instead of handing them to UVM Rescue.
2008
A federal SAFER grant funds six new firefighter positions.
2012
Seven members begin working as paramedics; a full-time deputy chief is added. Medical calls are about 80% of the work.
2,870 calls that year
2024
Six firefighters approved to staff a second ambulance, based at Station 2.
About 5,100 calls that year
2025
A 48-hour week: 24 hours on, 48 off, about 416 fewer hours a year for each firefighter.
2026
Voters approve a $2.3 million addition to Station 1, 2,651 to 1,018.
2027
Construction of the Station 1 addition expected to begin in the spring.
South Burlington in Chittenden County. Every fire station in the county is marked —
2 here, 24 in neighbouring towns, which is
who turns out on a mutual aid call.
The one other station inside
the town line belongs to the Vermont Air National Guard Fire Department. Boundaries and water from VCGI; fire district lines are not town lines, and
village districts and contracted coverage cross them. A town line runs out into
the lake, so the shoreline here is the water drawn over the boundary, not the
boundary itself.
Who answers where
The city is split into fire districts named for the unit that arrives first, and each is drawn around whichever station can get there fastest. Districts 1 and 2 are the built-up city; District 7 is rural.
Fire and ambulance is a fifth of South Burlington's general fund, second only to police. Part of it comes back: ambulance billing and the department's permit and inspection fees together bring in about $3 million.
Fiscal year 2027, as proposed
Fire and ambulance, spending
$7,528,864
Ambulance billing, revenue
$1,801,000
Fire permits and inspections, revenue
$1,252,476
Out of a general fund of $37.18 million. Voters approved the city budget on 3 March 2026.
Ten-year capital plan, fiscal 2027–2036
Fire apparatus (two engines, a ladder, a rescue)
$2,670,000
Ambulances (two in service, one reserve)
$1,910,000
Command and prevention vehicles
$658,000
Breathing apparatus, end of life in FY2029
$500,000
Station 1 sleeping and restroom renovations
$300,000
$6.04 million in all, almost all of it from the general fund. The Station 1 addition is a separate bond, repaid from fire department permit fees.
Working here
A career department of three shifts of thirteen, staffing a ladder, an engine and two ambulances from two stations. It hires firefighters who are also EMTs or paramedics.
Starting pay $60,208.68 including holidays, rising to $69,167.16 after three years
EMS pay on top: 4.5% for AEMTs, 8.5% for paramedics
24 hours on, 48 off, with a Kelly Day every seventh shift
Union membership from the day of hire: South Burlington Firefighters, IAFF Local 3671
In an emergency dial 911. These are business lines.
Burning
Vermont requires a Permit to Kindle Fire from the town’s Forest Fire Warden for anything larger than a campfire — except where snow covers the ground at the burn site, or the fire is at least 200 feet from anything that will carry flame. Wardens can suspend burning outright when fire danger is high. Who to ask locally is recorded department by department; where it is blank below, the fire department itself is the place to start.
For residents
Community ConnectTell responders who lives at your home, any access needs, pets or hazards — free and private.
Permits and inspectionsConstruction, fire alarm, sprinkler, kitchen hood and tent permits, applied for online.
Fire preventionThe Fire Marshal's office: inspections, plan review, complaints and the rental registry.
Read in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Not recorded yet
Nothing is written up here for burn permits.
Not because it does not exist — because nobody has typed it in. If you know this
department, tell us and it goes on the record with its
source named.