Operational area | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
State | Massachusetts |
City | Boston |
Agency overview [1] | |
Established | 1678 |
Annual calls | 74,191 (2013) |
Employees | 1,611 (2014)
|
Annual budget | $187,849,951 (2014) |
Staffing | Career |
Commissioner | Paul F. Burke |
EMS level | First responder |
IAFF | 718 |
Motto | First in the Nation |
Facilities and equipment [1] [2] | |
Divisions | 2 |
Battalions | 10 |
Stations | 34 |
Engines | 33 |
Trucks | 20 |
Platforms | 2 |
Rescues | 2 |
HAZMAT | 1 |
USAR | 1 |
Wildland | 2 |
Fireboats | 2 |
Rescue boats | 2 |
Light and air | 1 |
Website | |
Official website | |
IAFF website |
The Boston Fire Department provides fire services and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It also responds to such incidents as motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, utility mishaps, floods, explosions, and construction accidents among others.
The Boston Fire Department was established as the first paid fire department in the United States, and is the largest municipal fire department in New England serving approximately 685,000 people living in the 48.4-square-mile (125 km2) area of the city proper. Additionally, it actively participates in MetroFire, the fire services mutual aid system which serves it and 35 other fire departments in the surrounding area.
In and around Boston, firefighters are sometimes referred to as Jakes. [3]
The Boston Fire Department traces its roots back to 1631, a year after the city was founded, when the first fire ordinance was adopted. In what then was the Massachusetts Bay Colony of the Kingdom of England, the city banned thatched roofs and wooden chimneys. However, it wasn't until 1653 that the first hand engine was appropriated to provide pressure for water lines. [4] [5]
In 1678, the city founded a paid fire department, and hired Thomas Atkins to be the first fire chief. [4] On February 1, 1711, the town appointed a group of Fire Wards, each responsible for the operation and maintenance of equipment assigned to a region of the city. [6] The grandfather of Herman Melville, Thomas Melvill, served as a town fire ward from 1779 to 1825; his great-grandfather, Allen Melvill, served as a firefighter from 1733 to 1761. [7] [8] It was not until 1799 that the first leather fire hose was used, after being imported from England. [4]
The department underwent its first reorganization in 1837 when the hand engine department reorganized, reducing the number of active engines to fourteen. [6] By December 31, 1858, the department had 14 hand engines, 3 hook and ladder carriages, and 6 hydrant (hose) carriages. [6] On November 1, 1859, Engine Co. 8 began service as the first steam engine in the department. The reorganization of 1859-60 replaced the department's 14 hand engines with 11 new steam engines. The organizational structure of the department, as it still exists today, developed in that same period. [6]
The department was the first in the world to utilize the telegraph to alert fire fighters of an emergency, installing the system in 1851. [4] The first fire alarm was transmitted via the fire alarm telegraph system on April 29, 1852. [6] The famous Boston fire of 1872 led to the appointment of a board of fire commissioners. The Boston Fire Department also provided assistance in the Great Chelsea Fire of 1908 and the Great Salem Fire of 1914. [6] The department purchased its first steam fireboat in 1873, and installed fire poles in the stations in 1881. [4]
On July 29, 1910, the department purchased its first motorized apparatus. From 1914 until 1923, horse drawn engines as well as steam and motorized engine companies were in use in Boston. Ladder 24 was the last company to replace its horses in 1923 when it became motorized. [6] In 1925, the last fire horses were retired. [4] It wasn't until 1926 that the last steam engine was converted to a motorized engine. [6] The department first started using radio communication in 1925, installing radios in the fireboats, chiefs' cars, and rescue companies. [4]
By 1960, the department operated 48 engines, 29 ladders, one rescue, and two fireboats. [6] By the end of the decade, the standard 85-foot (26 m) ladder trucks were replaced by 100-foot (30 m) aerial ladders with tillers. [6]
In the 1970s, the department experimented with lime-green colored apparatus, but reverted to the traditional red in 1984, when the department made the switch to E-One fire apparatus. [6] In the early 1980s, an arson ring caused over 600 fires, many reaching multiple-alarm status. The group was ultimately caught and convicted. [6]
Also in the early 1980s, the department experienced a dramatic number of cutbacks due to budget cuts. The number of Engine Companies dropped from 43 to 33, the Fire Brigade was disbanded (only to be reopened in the mid-80's), the number of Ladder Companies went from 28 to 21, and one of the two Tower Companies was disbanded and reduced to a regular Ladder Company (bringing the total to 22 Ladder Companies). Rescue 2 was disbanded, but reorganized in 1986.
On January 31, 2007, the department, Boston Police, and the United States Department of Homeland Security removed LED advertisements resembling the mooninite characters of the Cartoon Network show Aqua Teen Hungerforce for its movie which had premiered at the time, Aqua teen hunger force colon movie film for theaters. The advertisements, dispersed throughout the city by two individuals hired by Turner Broadcasting, Interference, Inc., and Cartoon Network, were mistaken for homemade explosives. A civil settlement was eventually reached with Turner, Interference, and Cartoon Network for some portion of the costs incurred by Boston Police and Department of Homeland Security in responding to the events. One of Cartoon Network's managerial staff also resigned in the aftermath.
On June 3, 2013, Chief Steve Abraira resigned citing public criticism from his deputies over his response to the Boston Marathon bombing. [9]
After sexual harassment complaints by several women, the Boston Fire Department agreed to improve conditions for women under the terms of the 1996 Hansford Decree, including providing gender-separated bathrooms and sleeping areas. [10]
In 2018, firefighter David Sanchez sexually assaulted a fellow firefighter in a firehouse on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain. [11] The victim, Nathalie Fontanez, later said that the other men in the firehouse sided with the assailant, that she had been hazed and discriminated against because she was female and Latina, and that she had been retaliated against for reporting sexually inappropriate behavior. [12] She cited the example of being denied a transfer to the Fire Investigation Unit on the grounds it was for more senior firefighters, only to see the job go to a white man who started in the department on the same day. [12] The city reached a $3.2 million settlement for the complaint and launched a retraining initiative. [12] Other female firefighters also reported inappropriate comments, theft of equipment, finding their beds urinated in, inappropriate use of a cell phone app to locate an off-duty female firefighter, fears of being video recorded while naked, and a sexual assault that resulted in no disciplinary action. [10]
The Boston Globe reported that in 2018, out of about 1,500 firefighters, only 16 were women of whom 12 were African American or Hispanic. [11] The City of Boston was estimated to be 23% African American and 20% Hispanic in 2017. [13]
The Boston Fire Department has six divisions: [14]
The Boston Fire Department rank structure is as follows: [21]
The Boston Fire Department operates two Divisions and is split into ten Districts total. [2] Division 1 is responsible for the northern part of Boston and is split into five districts (Districts 1, 3, 4, 6 and 11) while Division 2 commands the southern five districts (Districts 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12). [2] Each Division is commanded by a Deputy Chief and each District is commanded by a District Chief, similar to a Battalion chief, who supervises 3-5 or more firehouses and their respective fire companies and units. There is also a Safety Chief, who serves citywide as the Incident Safety Officer at fires and large-scale incidents.
The Marine Unit of the BFD is located at Burrough's Wharf in the North End and houses the three Fireboats or Marine Units. The Marine Unit responds to approximately 500−600 emergency calls annually. [22] The Boston Fire Department also operates a High-Pressure Pumping Station at 175 Kneeland St. in Downtown and contains 17 miles of underground piping throughout the Downtown area. The system can provide pressurized water to the many pressurized fire hydrants in the Downtown area. [23]
In addition to the firehouses, the BFD also operates a Special Operations Command/Haz-Mat. Facility at 108 Holton St. in Brighton, a Communications/Fire Alarm Dispatch Center at 1 Fenway in Roxbury, and an Administrative Headquarters/Motor Pool Facility at 115 Southampton St. in Roxbury. The Fire Academy is located on Moon Island. [24]
Engine Company | Ladder Company | Special Unit | Chief Units | Address | Neighborhood | District | Division | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Engine 2 | Ladder 19 | 700 E. Fourth St. | Telegraph Hill/South Boston | 6 | 1 | |||
Engine 3 | Special / Lighting Unit | 618 Harrison Ave. | South End | 4 | 1 | |||
Engine 4 | Ladder 24 | Car 3 (District 3 Chief) | 200 Cambridge St. | West End | 3 | 1 | ||
Engine 5 | Car 1 (District 1 Chief) | 360 Saratoga St. | East Boston | 1 | 1 | |||
Engine 7 | Ladder 17 | Car 4 (District 4 Chief) | 200 Columbus Ave. | Back Bay | 4 | 1 | ||
Engine 8 | Ladder 1 | 392 Hanover St. | North End | 3 | 1 | |||
Engine 9 | Ladder 2 | 239 Sumner St. | Maverick Square/ East Boston | 1 | 1 | |||
Engine 10 | Tower Ladder 3 | Rescue 1, Technical Support Unit 1, Collapse Unit | C-6 (Division 1 Deputy Chief) | 125 Purchase St. | Downtown | 6 | 1 | |
Engine 14 | Ladder 4 | H-1 (Safety Chief) | 174 Dudley St. | Nubian Square/Roxbury | 7 | 2 | ||
Engine 16 | 9 Gallivan Blvd. | Dorchester | 8 | 2 | ||||
Engine 17 | Ladder 7 | Car 7 (District 7 Chief) | 44 Winter St. | Meeting House Hill/Dorchester | 7 | 2 | ||
Engine 18 | Ladder 6 | 1884 Dorchester Ave. | Ashmont/Dorchester | 8 | 2 | |||
Engine 20 | Dive Unit | 301 Neponset Ave. | Neponset/Dorchester | 8 | 2 | |||
Engine 21 | 641 Columbia Rd. | Upham's Corner/Dorchester | 7 | 2 | ||||
Engine 22 | Haz-Mat. Unit, Rehab. Unit | 700 Tremont St. | South End | 4 | 1 | |||
Engine 24 | Ladder 23 | 36 Washington St. | Grove Hall/ Roxbury | 7 | 2 | |||
Engine 28 | Tower Ladder 10 | Technical Support Unit 2 | Car 9 (District 9 Chief) | 746 Centre St. | Jamaica Plain | 9 | 2 | |
Engine 29 | Ladder 11 | Car 11 (District 11 Chief) | 138 Chestnut Hill Ave. | Brighton | 11 | 1 | ||
Engine 30 | Ladder 25 | 1940 Centre St. | West Roxbury | 10 | 2 | |||
Engine 32 | Ladder 9 | 525 Main St. | Charlestown | 3 | 1 | |||
Engine 33 | Ladder 15 | 941 Boylston St. | Back Bay | 4 | 1 | |||
Engine 37 | Ladder 26 | 560 Huntington Ave. | Fenway/Roxbury | 9 | 2 | |||
Engine 39 | Ladder 18 | Decon. Unit 1 | Car 6 (District 6 Chief) | 272 D St. | South Boston | 6 | 1 | |
Engine 41 | Ladder 14 | 460 Cambridge St. | Allston | 11 | 1 | |||
Engine 42 | Rescue 2 | C-7 (Division 2 Deputy Chief) | 1870 Columbus Ave | Egleston Square/ Roxbury | 9 | 2 | ||
Engine 48 | Ladder 28 | Brush Unit 48 | 60 Fairmount Ave. | Cleary Square/ Hyde Park | 12 | 2 | ||
Engine 49 | 209 Neponset Valley Pkwy. | Readville/ Hyde Park | 10 | 2 | ||||
Engine 50 | 34 Winthrop St. | Bunker Hill/ Charlestown | 3 | 1 | ||||
Engine 51 | 425 Faneuil St. | Brighton | 11 | 1 | ||||
Engine 52 | Ladder 29 | 975 Blue Hill Ave. | Dorchester | 12 | 2 | |||
Engine 53 | Ladder 16 | Car 12 (District 12 Chief) | 945 Canterbury St. | Roslindale | 12 | 2 | ||
Engine 55 | Brush Unit 55 | Car 10 (District 10 Chief) | 5115 Washington St. | West Roxbury | 10 | 2 | ||
Engine 56 | Ladder 21 | 1 Ashley St. | Orient Heights/ East Boston | 1 | 1 | |||
“John S. Damrell”Marine Unit 1, Marine Unit 2, Marine Unit 3 | Burrough's Wharf | North End | 3 | 1 |
Each division within the Boston Fire Department utilizes a series of alphabetical radio call signs to designate each unit within a certain division. [25]
Call Sign | Division |
---|---|
A | Associated Organizations |
B | M.O.E.P. |
C | Administrative Officers/Headquarters Staff |
G | Emergency Planning and Preparedness Division |
H | Special Operations Units |
I | Information Technology Division |
J | SCUBA Team |
K | Fire Prevention/Investigation Division |
M | Maintenance Section/Motor Pool |
N | Field Services Unit |
P | Boston Police Department Unit's |
S | Fire Alarm |
T | Special Operations Command |
W | Training |
X | Emergency Medical Response Division |
The first "Great Fire" of Boston destroyed 349 buildings on March 20, 1760.
The second "Great Fire" of Boston began on November 9, 1872. The fire destroyed 776 buildings, killed 13 people, and caused $75,000,000 in property damage. [4] The fire required mutual aid companies from as far away as New Haven, Connecticut and Manchester, New Hampshire.
The Arcadia Hotel fire occurred on December 3, 1913, in a flophouse on the corner of Washington and Laconia Streets in Boston's South End. The fire killed 28 people, making it the deadliest in Boston at that time, passing the Great Boston Fire of 1872. [26]
The Cocoanut Grove fire was the second-deadliest single-building fire in American history. At 10:15 pm on November 28, 1942, the fire began when a short in the electrical wiring ignited gas leaking from a faulty refrigeration unit. [27] The fire eventually claimed 490 lives, and injured 166 more. [27] Only the 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago had a higher death toll at 605.
On January 28, 1966, a series of explosions under the Paramount Hotel and resulting fires killed 11 people and damaged multiple buildings. Boston Municipal Court Judge Elijah Adlow blamed the blast on a leak from a gas main. [28]
At 2:35 pm on Saturday, June 17, 1972, an alarm from Box 1571 was received for the Hotel Vendome on Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay. [29] It took nearly three hours to get the 4-alarm blaze under control. At 5:28 pm, during overhaul operations, the southeast section of the building unexpectedly collapsed. [29] The collapse killed 9 Boston firefighters: Lieutenant Thomas J. Carroll (Engine 32), Lieutenant John E. Hanbury (Ladder 13), Firefighter Richard B. Magee (Engine 33), Firefighter Joseph F. Boucher (Engine 22), Firefighter Paul J. Murphy (Engine 32), Firefighter John E. Jameson (Engine 22), Firefighter Charles E. Dolan (Ladder 13), Firefighter Joseph P. Saniuk (Ladder 13) and Firefighter Thomas W. Beckwith (Engine 32); and injured eight more. [6] This fire was the worst tragedy in the history of the Boston Fire Department and one of the most deadly fires in the history of U.S. firefighting.
On the afternoon of March 26, 2014, firefighters responded to a report of a fire in a Beacon Street brownstone in Boston's Back Bay. [30] It was reported that smoke was observed upon arrival. Shortly after crews entered the building, a mayday alarm was sounded as members of Engine 33 became trapped in the basement. Two firefighters, Lieutenant Edward Walsh of Engine Company 33 and Michael Kennedy of Ladder Company 15, were killed and 18 people were injured in this nine alarm fire. [31]
The Los Angeles Fire Department provides firefighting services as well as technical rescue services, hazardous materials services and emergency medical services to the citizens of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The LAFD is responsible for approximately four million people who live in the agency's 471 square miles (1,220 km2) jurisdiction. The Los Angeles Fire Department was founded in 1886 and is the third largest municipal fire department in the United States, after the New York City Fire Department and the Chicago Fire Department. The department is sometimes also referred to as the Los Angeles City Fire Department or "LA City Fire" to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which serves unincorporated areas and, via contracts, other incorporated municipalities within Los Angeles County without their own fire departments. The department is currently under the command of Chief Kristin Crowley.
The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fire Suppression Services,Specialized Hazardous Materials Response Services,Emergency Medical Response Services and Specialized Technical Rescue Services in the entire city.
The Chicago Fire Department (CFD) provides firefighting services along with emergency medical response services, hazardous materials mitigation services, and technical rescue response services in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Chicago. The Chicago Fire Department is the second-largest municipal fire department in the United States after the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). It is also one of the oldest major organized fire departments in the nation. It has numerous general purpose and specialized vehicles and equipment to accomplish its missions.
Toronto Fire Services (TFS), commonly called Toronto Fire, provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Fire Services is currently the largest municipal fire department in Canada.
The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) provides firefighting, hazardous materials response services, technical rescue services and emergency medical response services to the City and County of San Francisco, California.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) was founded in 1886 and today serves the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Vancouver Fire And Rescue Services provides Fire Suppression Services,Medical Response Services,Technical Rescue Services and Hazardous Materials Response Services. In 2017, VFRS responded to 67,000 emergency calls.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) is the full-service fire department of San Diego, California. It was established on August 5, 1889. The department responds to over 183,000 calls per year. It covers 343 square miles of service area, including 17 miles of coastline. It is the second-largest municipal fire department in California, after the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan.
One-alarm fires, two-alarm fires, three-alarm fires, etc., are categories classifying the seriousness of fires, commonly used in the United States and in Canada, particularly indicating the level of response by local authorities. The term multiple-alarm is a quick way of indicating that a fire is severe and is difficult to contain. This system of classification is used by both fire departments and news agencies.
The St. Louis Fire Department provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and rescue services to the city of St. Louis, Missouri. The department is also the second oldest professional and fully paid fire department in the United States. The STLFD is responsible for 69.0 square miles (179 km2) and has a population of approximately 294,890 with a daytime population of over 2 million.
Firefighting in the United States dates back to the earliest European colonies in the Americas. Early firefighters were simply community members who would respond to neighborhood fires with buckets. The first dedicated volunteer fire brigade was established in 1736 in Philadelphia. These volunteer companies were often paid by insurance companies in return for protecting their clients.
The Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1797 and established in 1859, the Baltimore City Fire Department covers an area of 81 square miles (210 km2) of land and 11 square miles (28 km2) of water, with a resident population of over 640,000 and a daytime population of over 1,000,000. The BCFD responds to approximately 235,000 emergency calls annually. There are two International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) locals; IAFF 734 for firefighters and IAFF 964 for officers.
The Newark Fire Division provides Fire Protection Services,Hazardous Materials Mitigation Services, Emergency Medical Response Services and Specialized Rescue Services in the city of Newark, New Jersey. With a population of 311,549 it is New Jersey's largest city. In all the division is responsible for protecting 26.107 sq mi (67.617 km). Originally separate departments, the Police, Fire, Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security were consolidated into a Department of Public Safety under Mayor Ras J. Baraka. The Division is part of the Metro Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) Strike Team which is composed of nine north Jersey fire departments working together to address major emergency and rescue situations.
The Bridgeport Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The Yonkers Fire Department (YFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Yonkers, New York, United States.
Savannah Fire & Emergency Services (SFES) provides fire protection to the city of Savannah, Georgia, United States. The professional fire department is active 24/7 and 365 days a year, and has about 325 paid employees. They received an ISO Class 1 rating in November 2014, and CFAI accreditation in 2016.
The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department (BMFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York and its hamlet Scarborough. The volunteer fire department also serves unincorporated areas of Ossining and Mount Pleasant. The fire department has three fire companies, two stations, and four fire engines; it also maintains other vehicles, including a heavy rescue vehicle. The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department Ambulance Corps provides emergency medical transport with two ambulances. The fire department is headquartered at the Briarcliff Manor Village Hall, with its other station in Scarborough, on Scarborough Road.
The Vancouver Fire Department (VFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Vancouver and, by contract to Clark County Fire District 5, in Washington, United States. The VFD's response area is 89.2 square miles (231 km2) with a population of over 297,400. The VFD has the highest call volume per firefighter in the state. ALS transport is provided by AMR, making the VFD's service area population by far the largest in Western Washington without public ALS ambulance service.
The Teaneck Fire Department (TFD) was established in 1915 and provides fire protection, rescue and first responder emergency medical services to the Township of Teaneck, New Jersey. The TFD has 93 employees: 91 uniformed firefighters and 2 civilian employees. The department is directly responsible for over 41,000 residents living within the 6.23 square miles of Teaneck. Furthermore, The TFD routinely provides mutual aid to 6 surrounding communities in Bergen County, further assisting an additional 139,000 people over an additional 18.52 square miles.
The Brooklyn Fire Department (BFD) was a professional fire department that provided fire protection and rescue services to the city of Brooklyn, New York, within modern-day New York City, from 1869 to 1898. The Brooklyn Fire Department, a paid firefighting force, replaced a 3,000-person volunteer fire department that was poorly equipped to serve Brooklyn's growing population.