If in any town, village district, precinct, city or area, apparatus for the extinguishment of fires is provided at the public expense, N.H. Rev. Stat. § 154:1 through 16 shall apply and firewards or fire engineers shall be duly elected or appointed. But the bylaws now in force in any town relating to the extinguishment of fires, election of firewards, fire engineers or fire chiefs, shall remain in force, subject to being repealed or superseded by vote of the town.