The Kent Volunteer Fire Department is made up of a diverse group of people with many different interests.

The organization’s purpose is the preservation and the protection of life, limb and property from fire and other hazards. The Fire Department was first incorporated in 1911 and is a non-profit organization with 501c3 recognition from the IRS.

There were 18 charter members of the Fire Department when the Kent Hose Company was first formed in 1911. In 1916, the Kent Fire Association converted a horse barn on Library Association property into a Firehouse at a cost of $750. The Fire Department decided to build a new building in 1951, with its first meeting in the new building in February 1952. A formal dedication ceremony was held May 17, 1952. In March 1975 it was agreed to form an Ambulance Service and 24 members agreed to operate the service.

By the late 1970s it had become apparent to the Fire Department that the organization would have to move from its Main Street location due to lack of space for expansion. The land is owned by the Kent Library Association and the Fire Department leases it for $1 per year with a 99-year lease.

In the 1990s, the Fire Department began making plans in earnest for a new firehouse. After touring other newly constructed firehouses and compiling lists of what was desired and needed, a building committee was formed.

The Town of Kent purchased the former Kent Manufacturing Building at 28 Maple Street in January 2000 for KVFD's use for a firehouse. The fire department formed a Building Committee and had plans created that would involve renovating the existing structure. In 2002, a Fundraising Committee was formed to raise the necessary funds to transform the former factory building into a firehouse.

In the summer of 2004, the fire department determined the fundraising was falling short of the original goal of $2.5 million and the Town of Kent was approached for financial help. An ad-hoc committee was formed to review options and a recommendation made to abandon the original plans and build a new structure, rather than renovate. A new Firehouse Building Committee was formed to hire an architect and work out new plans for the structure.