South Hero's line runs out into the water, and 31.53 of the
46.42 square miles inside it are water. The land figure is the
Census count; the total is the boundary VCGI draws.
The station
131 Community Ln
Photograph by Tom Garvey, 2026-04-18
Engine 2, a 2023 E-One with a 1,250 gpm pump and 1,250 gallons, is first due; Engine 1, a 2007 HME, supplies water; Water 1 carries 2,300 gallons; Squad 3 leads first response; and Fire Boat 1, built in 2019, has twin 115 hp motors. Source
South Hero's volunteers have served the town since 1953 and are part of the Grand Isle County mutual aid group with Alburgh, Grand Isle and North Hero. Members include certified EMTs who run the town's first response service.
1953
The South Hero Volunteer Fire Department begins.
2019
A landing-craft fire boat is built, able to launch around the county and pull up to islands' shores.
2023
The department's old fire boat, from the Coast Guard and known as "the Titanic", goes to Isle La Motte. A new E-One engine goes into service.
Calls
Call volume has fallen over the years the town report covers.
Calls by fiscal year
259FY2021
217FY2022
211FY2023
Fiscal years end in June. From the chief's report in the town report labelled 2024.
South Hero in Grand Isle County. Every fire station in the county is marked —
1 here, 5 in neighbouring towns, which is
who turns out on a mutual aid call.
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.
Working here
There's a job for everyone: interior firefighting, pumping, water supply, traffic, EMS, and support roles from graphics to supplies.
Cadets at 14 and 15: training, fire prevention and equipment upkeep
Junior members at 16 and 17: training with air packs and most calls
Regular members from 18, after a probation period
Fill in the form on the Join page for a call and a station tour
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
Burn permitsThrough the Town Clerk, 372-5552. Campfires under 4 feet in a ring don't need one; no permits during red flag warnings or moderate fire danger.
Fire safetySmoke and CO alarms, extinguishers, emergency access and boater safety.
Read in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Not recorded yet
Nothing is written up here for burn permits, budget.
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.