> 50th Annual Addison County Regional Fire School < 
April 2020
CANCELLED due to COVID-19

---

50th ANNUAL ADDISON COUNTY
REGIONAL FIRE SCHOOL

Sponsored by the Addison County Firefighter’s Association, Inc.

To Be Held
Saturday, April 25th & Sunday, 26th, 2020
At
Mount Abraham Union High School
Airport Road, Bristol, VT
​

The Addison County Training Committee is pleased to dedicate the 50th Annual Regional Fire School to Peter
Coffey who joined the Bristol Fire Department on June 2, 1976. Peter’s interest and compassion for the fire service was
evident during his early years in the department. He completed all the necessary training requirements expected of a new
recruit, and as such, was respected for his skills and aggressiveness as an interior firefighter. He was elected as 2nd Assistant
Chief in 1989 and one year later, in 1990 he was elected to as 1st Assistant Chief, a position he held for eighteen years,
stepping down in 2007.
Peter was never one to think training was no longer necessary or essential as he entered the senior phase of his longstanding career with the department. In 2006, Peter ‘challenged’ and successfully completed the criteria to become a
certified Firefighter, Level One. When asked “why now” his response was that the business of firefighting is continually
changing, and even though he had stepped down from an officer’s position, he believe he had an obligation to lead by
example.
If Firefighter 1 was the standard being taught, then Peter felt he needed to have a thorough understanding of what
was expected of new firefighters. At a time when most firefighters, with the years under their belt as Peter has, often look
to a role more in line with their seniority (and age), Peter took a pro-active approach seldom seen; which speaks volumes to
the department’s younger firefighters; that regardless of your age or experience, the learning never stops.
Peter has completed the Vermont Fire Service rigorous PADO program, and since he stepped down as Assistant
Chief in 2007, he is one of the department’s most competent Engineers in operating both the Engine and Engine-Tanker.
During the time Peter served the department as 1st Assistant Chief, he was instrumental in initiating the Incident Command
System (ICS) as the department’s method of operation at any incident. It was through his efforts that Bristol became one
of the leaders in Addison County in implementing this system, and is now used by a number of departments within Addison
County.
After a long and successful career in public education, first as a teacher and retiring as a high school principal,
Peter’s skill as an educator was invaluable when he worked as a School Evaluator at the Addison County Firefighters
Association annual fire school. His experience and expertise provided the county association with well written and essential
feedback on the instructors who taught at the fire school. He continues to work at the ACFA Fire School, teaching Fire
Pumps.
Peter’s dedication goes beyond the Bristol Fire Department. He is a Life Member of the Addison County
Firefighter’s Association, and served as the President of ACFA for two years. Peter recently retired as Deputy Director of
Logistics with Vermont Emergency Management. He continues to involve himself with the fire service, volunteering
countless hours to teach the various course levels of ICS across the state on behalf of Vermont Emergency Management.
He is currently working part-time for the Vermont Fire Service Training, assisting with the review of course curriculum.