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In front of the station sits the 1955 fire engine which carried his casket when the people Yorkville lined the streets to pay their respects. In the station’s back is the ladder truck he drove down to New Orleans to help people after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
The dedication was a surprise when Assistant Chief Timothy Fairfield’s son and grandkids pulled on the ropes, revealing the name of the Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District’s new training grounds outside Station 1.
Assembled firefighters who trained under Fairfield, and the younger crew members who would continue feeling his presence on the grounds, applauded the plaque inscribed, “Timothy Fairfield Memorial Training Center.”
Fairfield died from cancer in 2023, at age 56, after serving for 38 years.
His son, Brandon Fairfield, a lieutenant with the department, said it’s only fitting new fire fighters will be running into a building named after his father considering he’s been following in his father’s footsteps his whole life.
“Growing up down at the station, myself and my brother were always following my dad around, helping him when he was putting on training classes,” Fairfield said following the dedication ceremony. “What he did during Katrina was unbelievable, it makes me want to do the same thing. I’ve always wanted to follow in his footsteps and help people in need. It shows the type of person he was to drop everything and drive across the country to help people.”
The new training facility contains three different floors with the layout of a furnished home, preparing the firefighters for realistic fire scenarios. In the heavy smell of smoke, they learn the proper maneuvers that minimize the dangers for occupants of the homes, themselves, and their fellow crew members.
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“He would always train the crew to be prepared for the unthinkable, it got us ready for the real thing,” Fairfield said. “I hope we can keep carrying on his name and his drive he had for the department and serving the community.”
Reflecting on his own legacy he would like to leave behind someday, Fairfield remarked that he gets a smile seeing his young son play by the fire truck, maybe dreaming of wearing the axe and ladder badge someday.
“During my dad’s funeral, the fire engine drove past every station in town,” Fairfield said. “My brother and I rode on the back right by my dad’s casket. I’ll never forget it. No matter where we passed there were people on the side of the road waving. That’s a legacy. Never forgetting who we’re here for. We’re here for the town.”
After giving the speech on May 22 commemorating Timothy Fairfield’s service, Chief Jeremy Messersmith said Fairfield’s presence was and will continue being larger than life for the department.
“Even when I first got in the department, he was the teacher of an EMT class I took,” Messersmith said. “He was always pushing people to get better and train harder. He was always a mentor to me. In my last five years working with him, I took in everything I could. He had seen a lot more than me, and through training could always push me and everyone to the next level.”
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After providing a walking tour of the new training facility, Messersmith said Fairfield would be proud how realistic and detail-oriented the grounds are.
“The crew was a little overwhelmed when they first saw how expansive and realistic it is compared to the old one,” Messersmith said. “We always had the dream to expand our training facility out further. It’s designed like a two-story house with a basement. The first training began in here right before last winter. It’s already made an impact on our crew’s preparedness.”
When commenting on the legacy he hoped the new training facility would instill within the crew, Messersmith pointed to the ladder truck Fairfield took down to New Orleans after the hurricane.
“Fairfield spent two weeks down there helping people in need, working 24 hours on and 24 hours off, literally dropping everything to go down there within a day of the devastation,” Messersmith said. “On their off days, the team he lead, along with former Sheriff Dick Randall, went to the hospital to help clean and organize the place to improve conditions for patients. Fairfield knew it’s all about helping the community. How can you help people get back on their feet?”