The Hamilton Fire Department is an all-volunteer municipal department located in central New York State approximately 35 miles southeast of the city of Syracuse. The 2012 population of the village was 4197, encompassing an area of approximately 4 miles. The Village of Hamilton is home to Colgate University. The Hamilton Fire Department provides fire/rescue and emergency medical services in the village to developments such as Hamilton Community Memorial Hospital, Hamilton Municipal Airport, Hamilton Central School as well as Colgate University. Under contract, the Hamilton Fire Department provides service to portions of the Town of Hamilton, Town of Lebanon and the Town of Madison. With the fire protection boundary lines crossing several townships, the size and total of the primary/first response area is estimated at 27 square miles with 8500 permanent residents. In addition to the primary response area, the HFD provides service to portions of the Town of Hamilton and Lebanon under the automatic mutual aid agreement with the Hubbardsville and Earlville Fire Departments. HFD also provides RIT/FAST services to departments in Madison, Chenango and Oneida Counties. The Hamilton Fire Department is currently made up of 50 active firefighters, of which, 30% are Colgate University students. The Hamilton Fire Department holds an ISO Class 3 Rating.