Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department

What Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department does

Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department (GVFD) is a volunteer-based public safety organization that delivers structural and wildland fire response, basic and advanced life support (BLS/ALS) emergency medical response and transport, and technical rescue services to the community of Georgetown, Maine — a coastal island in the Mid-Coast region. The department is responsible for protecting 1,043 permanent residents, additional seasonal residents, and over 175,000 yearly tourists. It operates from two physical stations (Center Station and Center Station Annex) and fields a fleet of six apparatus units: Engine 1, Engine 3, Ambulance 1, Ambulance 2, Squad, and Tank 2. Medical equipment includes cardiac monitors and power stretchers for advanced life support interventions. The department is staffed by approximately 20+ volunteer members organized under a formal leadership structure headed by Chief Brian Whalen, with supporting Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, EMS Captain, Fire Captain, Training Officer, Safety Officer, Captain Emeritus, and Treasurer/Bookkeeper roles, plus paramedics, EMTs, and firefighters who fill multiple operational functions.

The department operates under a 911 emergency dispatch model with response coordinated through the Maine Forest Service for burn permits and paramedic intercept service from a local hospital when needed. Membership is acquired through community outreach and volunteer recruitment, with new members joining via the website's Join page. The organization also facilitates free burn permit issuance to residents (only valid after 9 AM on burn days when wildfire danger is Class 1 or 2), helping reduce unnecessary dispatches.

GVFD is funded entirely through voluntary community donations accepted by check (mailed to P.O. Box 199, Georgetown, ME 04548) or via PayPal, supplemented by an annual appeal letter mailed to local taxpayers around May 24th. All emergency services are provided at no cost to residents or visitors; there are no service fees, subscription models, or commercial revenue streams. Capital equipment purchases — including fire hose, cardiac monitors, and power stretchers — are funded exclusively through donations. The entity is governed locally by volunteer leadership with no parent company, holding entity, or outside equity investment disclosed. A detailed department history is forthcoming on the website (currently listed as "Stay tuned"), indicating an evolving public-facing documentation effort.

Name

Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department

Legal name

Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department

Website

https://gvfdme.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department is a volunteer public safety organization providing fire, EMS, and rescue services to Georgetown, Maine — a coastal island community of 1,043 permanent residents plus seasonal residents and 175,000+ yearly tourists — funded entirely by community donations and staffed by approximately 20+ volunteers operating from two stations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Safety / Fire and Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL)

Keywords

• Volunteer fire department
• Emergency medical services
• Structural fire response
• Wildland fire response
• Technical rescue services

Headquarters

HQ city

Georgetown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: The department funds capital equipment (fire hose, cardiac monitors, power stretchers) entirely through donations from the community. Donations are accepted by check (mailed to P.O. Box 199, Georgetown, ME 04548) or via PayPal credit/debit card. An annual appeal letter is sent to local taxpayers.
2. Free Community Services (No Direct Revenue): Emergency services are provided free of charge to the community. The department provides structural and wildland fire response, basic and advanced life support response and transport, and rescue services at no cost to patients or residents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department provides structural and wildland fire response, basic and advanced life support emergency medical response and transport, and rescue services to the Georgetown, Maine community. Services are delivered free of charge by approximately 20+ volunteer members operating from two stations (Center Station and Center Station Annex) using a fleet of six apparatus. The department also facilitates free burn permits through the Maine Forest Service and accepts donations to fund capital equipment.

Product overview

Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department provides emergency services to 1,043 permanent residents, seasonal residents, and approximately 175,000 yearly tourists on a coastal island in Mid-Coast Maine. The department operates from two stations (Center Station and Center Station Annex) and provides integrated emergency response combining fire services (structural and wildland), emergency medical services (BLS and ALS transport), and rescue operations. The department's fleet includes Engine 1, Engine 3, Ambulance 1, Ambulance 2, Squad, and Tank 2 apparatus. Services are delivered by volunteer members filling roles including scene support, traffic control, drivers, EMS providers, and firefighters. The department also facilitates free burn permits through the Maine Forest Service and accepts donations for capital equipment funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Fire Response Fire suppression and response for structural fires in residential and commercial properties within the Georgetown, Maine service area, provided free of charge by volunteer members using Engines 1 and 3.
• Wildland Fire Response Fire suppression services for wildfires and vegetation fires in the rural and forested areas of Georgetown's coastal island region, supported by Tank 2 for water supply in areas without hydrant access.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Response and Transport Emergency medical response with basic life support capabilities including assessment, bandaging, splinting, oxygen administration, and patient transport, delivered by EMTs using Ambulance 1 and Ambulance 2.
• Advanced Life Support (ALS) Response and Transport Advanced emergency medical services with paramedic-level interventions including IV therapy, medication administration, cardiac monitoring, and advanced airway management. Includes intercept paramedic service from the local hospital when the primary paramedic is unavailable.
• Rescue Services Technical rescue operations including vehicle extrication, water rescue, and other specialized rescue scenarios, delivered with the Squad apparatus and supported by multi-role volunteer personnel.
• Burn Permit Issuance Facilitates free burn permits through the Maine Forest Service system for outdoor burning in Georgetown and educates residents on burn regulations and fire danger classifications. Permits are only issued after 9 AM on the day of the burn when wildfire danger is Class 1 or 2.
• Donation Processing Accepts charitable donations via check (mailed to P.O. Box 199, Georgetown, ME 04548) and PayPal credit/debit card to fund capital equipment including fire hose, cardiac monitors, and power stretchers. An annual appeal letter is sent to local taxpayers.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Westport Island Volunteer Fire Department: Volunteer fire department serving Westport Island, Maine — a directly comparable island volunteer service with similar scale, dual-station operation, and integrated fire/EMS volunteer model in the same Mid-Coast region.
• South Bristol Volunteer Fire Department: Volunteer fire department serving South Bristol, Maine — another coastal island community adjacent to Georgetown with a similar small permanent population and seasonal/tourist exposure. Comparable mixed structural/wildland fire and EMS mandate.
• Bristol Volunteer Fire Department: Volunteer fire department serving Bristol, Maine, across the river from Georgetown. Similar size, similar coastal community profile, and operates as a combined fire/EMS volunteer organization in the same regional mutual-aid network.
• Phippsburg Volunteer Fire Department: Neighboring Mid-Coast Maine coastal volunteer fire department serving a similar small-population coastal community with combined fire and EMS response. Operates under a comparable volunteer-based model with dual-station coverage.
• Woolwich Fire Department: Nearby Mid-Coast Maine fire department serving a small-town population with combined fire and EMS coverage. Functions as a regional mutual-aid peer and operates under a comparable small-department volunteer or hybrid model.
• Wiscasset Fire Department: Nearby Wiscasset, Maine fire department operating in the same Mid-Coast region. Functions as a mutual-aid partner and shares the small-coastal-community operating profile with combined fire/EMS service delivery.
• Arrowsic Volunteer Fire Department: Volunteer fire department serving Arrowsic, Maine, a small island-adjacent community in Sagadahoc County. Closely comparable in scale, volunteer structure, and integrated emergency services mandate to GVFD.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/georgetownmefireandrescue

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

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 Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department