When the Bozrah Volunteer Fire Company was founded in 1950, 14-year-old Raymond C. Barber watched with excitement as the Bozrah Town Hall, near his childhood home on Fitchville Road, was completely renovated to hold the fledgling organization’s first fire engine.

He said he couldn’t wait until he was 16, old enough to join his friends and neighbors as a junior volunteer. So, in 1952, the teen did just that, and he’s been in Bozrah VFC ever since, serving in many ranks — Engineer (1952-1959); Assistant Secretary (1958-1959); Vice President (2012); President (1962, 2013, 2014); Deputy Chief (1963-1968), and Chief of the Department (1968-1980).

Since those early years, members of the Bozrah VFC and their supporters have funded and built their own dedicated fire station across the street from the Town Hall, which now houses some 10 pieces of firefighting equipment, from the huge rescue pumper to the small utility vehicle Polaris Ranger 6x6, which can be used in small spaces to fight brush fires.

In recognition of this longstanding service of nearly 70 years, and of his many contributions to local, regional and statewide advances in emergency services, Barber was inducted into the Connecticut State Firefighters Association Hall of Fame at a celebration at the Aqua Turf in Southington on Sept. 23.

The event included the awards ceremony and dinner in honor of 17 inductees chosen in 2020 and 2021. (The 2020 celebration had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) Among the inductees for both years, he was the only representative from New London County.

Beyond his work fighting fires, Barber was instrumental in improving emergency services to the Town of Bozrah, to the region and to the state.

He was trained as the town’s first emergency medical technician, a founding member of the BVFC Ambulance Service, one of the founders of the Colchester Emergency Communications KX System, a member of the State of Connecticut Emergency Medical Services Commission and a member of the state’s Advisory Committee on Emergency Medical Services. He has won citations for his service from the State of Connecticut and the United States Congress.

Along with a plaque and award certificate, Barber received a medal for his dress uniform and a polo shirt embroidered with the Connecticut State Firefighters Association Hall of Fame logo. I suggested he wear the polo shirt to the Bozrah Farmers Market and fire house breakfasts.

“Oh, you bet I’ll wear that shirt any chance I get,” he said.

Mary Elizabeth Lang is a resident of Bozrah.