The organization of the Burton Volunteer Fire Department began with a small meeting of seventeen Burton men on January 14th, 1926. With funds acquired from bake sales, dinners and personal donations, the men were able to purchase the chassis for their first fire truck, a one ton Chevrolet, on March 31st, 1926. They had no place to house the truck, so in 1927 the Burton Chamber of Commerce and the township trustees helped the fire department remodel the basement for the use as headquarters and to house fire trucks . The building was originally built in 1881 at the cost of $6,500 and was used for town meetings, plays, political rallies and traveling shows. In 1903 a bronze marker was cemented to the front of the building stating that this point was 1338 feet above sea level.

On January 3rd, 1928 a second truck was purchased and as time went by new members, new equipment and new projects were added. On June 10th, 1937 the Burton Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated as a non-profit organization.

Later in October 1944, through the efforts of the Burton Volunteer Fire Department, a county Fire Association was organized. The association holds six meetings per year in the various fire stations in the county. After World War II, motion picture equipment was installed and the auditorium was turned into a theater. This venture ended in 1953, when the state condemned the structure for public meetings.

In the meantime, the fire department was looking for a new site for a fire station. The Burton Volunteer Fire Department's Ladies Auxiliary had been raising funds with the pancake breakfast, dinners and other fundraisers. After negotiating with the township trustees an agreement was reached to lease the building and remodel it. Under the direction of Nick J. Gaspard and at the expense of over $50,000, the movie house was converted to the serviceable fire station we have today.

In 1982 Alta Linton, the wife of the first Fire Chief, Ray Linton, died and bequeathed $20,000 to the fire department in memory of her husband. About this time the township trustees realized they needed more room and started planning a new building for the township meetings and business. In 1983 the Burton Volunteer Fire Department was able to purchase the town hall from the township trustees for $20,000.

Many improvements were made to the building since that purchase. A new ceiling in the dining hall, new ceiling lights, fans and new windows for the entire building, offices were built for the fire officers, and new cabinetry.

In May 1989, the fire station was able to purchase the small parcel of land behind the fire station, approximately .020 acres which squares up the parcel of land owned by the fire department. The department was able to lease additional land from Ohio Bell (which is now SBC) to be utilized for parking. A 4,000 square foot addition to the building was completed in 1990, this addition provides two additional bays for apparatus, and storage area.

In 1996 EMS members of the Burton Fire Department began to be paid a stipend for being "On Call" during the hours of 08:00 hours and 18:00 hours. In 1999, after years of budgeting, was able to provide part-time wages to it's EMS members. Burton Fire Department now has 26 part-time members, with 2 on staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Burton Fire Department is now in the process of upping it's annual budget to provide for station renovation, and new apparatus within the next few years.

Our Mission Statement

"The Burton Fire Department exist to provide all aspects of emergency services to our community through professional, effective and efficient services that protect life and property."

Our Vision Statements

It is the vision of the Burton Fire Department to be continually improving ourselves, our department, and our services as servants to the public. We will be ready, able and qualified to respond to the emergency needs of our community, now and in the future. In partnership with our elected officials, we will establish avenues to sustain sufficient revenue to perform our duties and obligations to those we serve. We will effectively utilize our human resources, both paid and volunteer, in a balanced system of adequate staffing that best meets the needs of our community. We will be ever vigilant to our changing environment, making every effort to be proactive in all we do. We will be prepared for the future by being ready for today and accepting the challenge of change for tomorrow.

We will recognized by our community and peers for consistently providing quality services in an efficient manner. To ensure our progress and success, we will willingly look at ourselves and the internal "wellness" of our organization. We will each strive for personal excellence by exhibiting a professional attitude and a cooperative approach to problem-solving in the organization and the community. This spirit of professionalism will require each of us to demand as much from ourselves as we do from the organization as a whole. We will achieve our best results from a team approach, emphasizing high levels of trust, cooperation, and a commitment to open and honest communications.

Our commitment to professionalism will be reflected in our support of continuing education and training. Effective policies and procedures, rooted in our foundational values, will provide a consistent foundation for effective management of our resources. We will remain committed to the safety, health and welfare of each of our members. Our facility and equipment will be maintained and upgraded as necessary to ensure our ability to effectively serve our costumer and to provide the space and resources needed to support the work of our staff.

With core values and guiding principles to believe in, we will continue to exist to help people, our most important asset, continuously improving ourselves one step at a time.