Founded in 1896, the department was originally started by residents and the Broad Brook Company to protect the Broad Brook Mill and surrounding properties.
When the Broad Brook Mill closed between 1946 and 1956, the fire department continued to protect the rest of the town. The department played a part in the 1960 film Parrish, starring Troy Donahue as a man living with his mother on a farm in the Connecticut Tobaccao Valley. Carroll O'Connor starred as the local fire chief and the Broad Brook Volunteer Cfire Department was filmed putting out a tobacco shed.
In 1986, the department fought the largest fire in its history, the old Broad Brook Company property erupted in flames during renovations, according to fire department's website.
The department works closely with Warehouse Point Volunteer Fire Department to protect the entire town.