The Shrewsbury Fire Department has a long history of serving the community. Since 1850, the fire department, which currently has 31 firefighters, four captains, one fire chief and one part-time secretary, has handled fires, motor vehicle accidents, collapses, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and medical emergencies. The department has four engine trucks, an aerial tower-ladder truck, one rescue engine (a combination fire engine and specialized rescue vehicle), a command vehicle and a maintenance pickup truck. In the last year, the fire department responded to more than 3,000 emergency responses, with the majority of the calls related to emergency medical calls. Thanks to renovations and the construction of a new fire headquarters in 2007, the three local fire stations in town now can collectively house up to 60 firefighters.