combination (paid and volunteer) fire department, established in 1888 as a separate fire department within the northwest corner of the town. It is not affiliated with the Town of Manchester government and is instead governed by its own board of directors. The department has 4 Firefighters on duty 24/7 with coverage provided by full time career firefighters and part time paid firefighters. On the weekdays during the hours of 0800–1600 staffing increases with the addition of one full time career Assistant Chief and one full time career Firefighter/Mechanic. Volunteers provide additional coverage whenever available. The department provides fire suppression, fire prevention, rescue, hazardous material response, and Basic Life Support (EMT level) medical care. Police department The Manchester Police Department was established in 1896. It is staffed by approximately 120 officers. The department is led by Chief William Darby. Infrastructure Transportation Roads Manchester has parts of three interstate highways (I-84, I-384, and I-291) and Route 6 and Route 44 together constitute Manchester's principal east/west arterial. Connecticut Route 30 is an east/west arterial in the northern section of town. Connecticut Route 83 is Manchester's principal north/south arterial. Starting as South Main Street at the southern border with Glastonbury, Route 83 becomes Main Street through the center of town. Public transportation Manchester is served by the Hartford division of Connecticut Transit. Routes 80, 82, 83, 84, 85, 88, and 121 connect Manchester directly to the city of Hartford. Rail No passenger service currently exists in town. Freight service from Hartford is provided by Connecticut Southern Railroad. The closest passenger rail service is available at Hartford's Union Station, approximately 10 miles west. Airports Bradley International Airport, in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, is twenty minutes north of downtown Hartford. It features over 150 daily departures to over 30 destinations on nine airlines. Other airports serving the Hartford area include: Hartford–Brainard Airport, found in Hartford off I-91 and close to Wethersfield, serves charter flights and local flights. Westover Metropolitan Airport, located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, 27 miles (43 km) north of Hartford, serves commercial, local, charter, and military flights Tweed New Haven Airport, located in New Haven, Connecticut, is served by Avelo Airlines Bicycling Manchester has several on and off-road bicycle routes. The two most popular routes are the Charter Oak Greenway and the Hop River State Park Trail. Portions of each of those routes have been designated as parts of the East Coast Greenway. Notable people Nathan