Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue

What Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue does

Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue (SMFR) is a student-run emergency fire and rescue department operating on the Saint Michael's College campus in Colchester, Vermont. It provides 24/7, 365-day emergency response services—fire suppression, rescue operations, and emergency medical services—to the Colchester community and broader Vermont area through the 911 dispatch system. The department is distinguished by its student-led governance model, where students run operations, lead crews, and serve as elected officers while maintaining full academic schedules, supported by career chiefs and professional firefighters.

The organization operates as a public safety service rather than a commercial entity. Services are provided free of charge to the community, with funding likely flowing through Saint Michael's College's institutional budget. The primary service offering is a single unified emergency response product, distributed through the municipal 911 dispatch system and a non-emergency phone line. The department's core technology consists of standard firefighting and emergency medical equipment; there is no proprietary technology platform, no software product, and no digital infrastructure beyond informational websites.

SMFR serves two primary customer segments: the Colchester, Vermont community, which receives emergency services, and Saint Michael's College students, who gain hands-on training, professional certifications, field hours, and leadership experience while volunteering. The department has operated continuously for over 50 years, selling no products, generating no disclosed revenue, and pursuing no commercial growth agenda. Its value proposition centers on the unique combination of community service and educational opportunity within a student-run operational model.

Name

Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue

Website

https://smfronline.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue is a student-run emergency fire and rescue department serving Colchester, Vermont through the 911 dispatch system. College students lead operations and crews while pursuing degrees, supported by career chiefs, providing free 24/7 emergency services to the community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Fire and Rescue Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (922160), Fire Protection (92216)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safety Training, Preparedness & Drills (Active Threat, Fire, CPR) (EDALAEAH), Firefighter & Fire Service Training (EDAOAMAB)

Keywords

• Emergency fire response
• Rescue services
• Emergency medical services
• Volunteer firefighter training
• Community emergency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Colchester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Emergency Services: Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue operates as a public safety service, likely funded through Saint Michael's College institutional budget with support from career chiefs. Services are provided free of charge to the community.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue provides 24/7, 365-days-a-year fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical response services to the Colchester, Vermont community through a unique student-run operating model. The department is staffed primarily by Saint Michael's College student volunteers who lead crews, hold rank, and serve as elected officers while pursuing full academic schedules, with support from career chiefs. Students train alongside professional firefighters and medics, earn certifications, and gain field hours applicable to public-service and medical careers.

Product overview

Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue is a single, unified emergency service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The department provides fire and rescue emergency response services, supported by student-led training programs, certifications, and field experience opportunities. Students pursue academic degrees while serving with the department and earning professional firefighter and medic certifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire & Rescue Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ majors available while serving with SMFR

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Colchester Fire Department: The municipal fire department serving Colchester, Vermont. It is the most direct peer because SMFR operates within the same service area and responds to overlapping 911-dispatched fire, rescue, and EMS calls in the town.
• South Burlington Fire Department: Municipal fire department serving South Burlington, VT, a neighboring community. Directly comparable in service mix (fire, rescue, EMS) and regional operating environment.
• Burlington Fire Department: The municipal fire department of Burlington, Vermont—the nearest large city to Colchester. Comparable in core service (fire suppression, rescue, EMS) and operates within the same state regulatory and mutual-aid framework.
• Williston Fire Department: Municipal fire department serving Williston, VT, immediately adjacent to Colchester. Comparable in scope of fire and EMS response and Chittenden County mutual-aid footprint.
• University of Vermont Rescue: A student-run collegiate EMS organization at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Shares the student-led emergency-services model and recruits student volunteers from a Vermont university, making it the closest model-comparable peer.

Others

• Saint Michael's College: The host institution for SMFR. While not a peer in fire & rescue, it is the funding, governance, and talent source for the department, making the relationship material to understanding SMFR's operating model.
• National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation: A national membership organization supporting collegiate EMS agencies. It is thematically aligned with SMFR's student-run emergency-services model and represents the broader peer ecosystem for collegiate emergency response.

Broad incumbents

• American Medical Response: The largest private EMS provider in the United States. Comparable on the EMS side of SMFR's offering and a broader incumbent in the same emergency-response category, though it does not staff student-run fire departments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saint-michael's-fire-&-rescue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saint Michael's Fire & Rescue