Operational area | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
State | Michigan |
City | Detroit [1] |
Agency overview | |
Established | 1860 |
Annual calls | 2022: Detroit EMS: 146,551 Detroit Fire: 23,184 Fire / 30,908 MFR |
Employees | 1200+ (821 firefighters) |
Staffing | Career |
Commissioner | Charles Simms |
EMS level | ALS/BLS/MFR |
IAFF | Local 344 |
Facilities and equipment | |
Divisions | 7 (Fire,EMS,Fire Marshal,Fire Investigations,Training,Communications,Community Relations) |
Battalions | 8 |
Stations | 36 |
Engines | 27 |
Trucks | 13 |
Squads | 6 |
Ambulances | 27 |
HAZMAT | 2 |
Airport crash | 2 |
Fireboats | 2 |
Website | |
IAFF Local 344 |
The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan.
The DFD operates 47 fire companies and 25 ambulances out of 36 fire stations located throughout the city, with a total sworn personnel complement of 1200 members. It is headquartered at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters on Third Street, which also houses police and additional services.
The DFD responds to approximately 170,000 emergency calls annually, with over 80% being medical emergencies and approximately 2200 working structural fires. There were 4,741 structure fires in Detroit in 2014, compared with 2,736 in 2018, according to data. By the end of 2022, there were 2154 structure fires. As a result, the city is now fighting an average of six structure fires per day. As of 2021, all new members are trained as firefighter/EMT or firefighter/paramedic. [1]
From 2011 to December 31, 2013, the Detroit Fire Department was led by Fire Commissioner Donald R. Austin, a former member of the Los Angeles Fire Department and a Detroit native. Under Mayor Dave Bing, Austin had come to Detroit in May 2011 on the difficult mission to bring change to the DFD. He resigned in November 2013 due to changes in city administration.
The new mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan, named Jonathan Jackson, a 25-year veteran of the department, and a Second Deputy Fire Commissioner under Austin, as the Interim Fire Commissioner on December 23, 2013. Craig Dougherty, a former member of Engine 50 on the city's East Side and Fire Chief under Austin, became a Second Deputy Commissioner under Jackson. The administration was rounded out by Deputy Commissioner Edsel Jenkins, C.P.A., Second Deputy Commissioner Sydney Zack, LL.M., and Second Deputy Commissioner Orlando Gregory. [2]
By the end of March 2014, Commissioner Jackson resigned due to a life-threatening neural disease. On April 8, 2014, Deputy Commissioner Edsel Jenkins was named as the new Executive Fire Commissioner. He resigned in October 2015, [3] and was succeeded in office by Eric Jones. Executive Fire Commissioner Eric Jones made swift changes and created the new management team of the fire department which included Deputy Commissioner Dave Fornell, 2nd Deputy Commissioner Sydney Zack, and 2nd Deputy Commissioner Charles Simms. [4] [5]
As of January 2011, in an effort to reduce costs, the city of Detroit was considering privatizing the Fire Department's EMS Division.
Budget cuts led to the Chief of department closing a total of 10 Engine Companies and 4 Ladder Companies, effective July 4, 2012. Additionally, 200 firefighters and officers were to be demoted and around 150 laid off initially, with more than 100 to be re-hired as funds were to become available. [6] In addition to the 14 permanently closed companies, a number of units were placed out of service ("browned out") on a daily basis. As a consequence, the standard response to a structural fire was reduced by one engine to 2 engines, 1 ladder, 1 squad and 1 chief.
At the beginning and into the first half of 2013, apparatus availability was at a low point[ citation needed ]. An estimated 40 units remained in service, [7] with all three aerial platform trucks damaged or defective, and up to eight engine Companies and seven ladder companies browned out. [7] At the end of January 2013, the entire fleet of aerial ladder trucks was found lacking certification for routine operations. [8] [9]
The City of Detroit declared bankruptcy in July 2013.
By 2014, the established practice of using improvised tools like soda pop cans, doorbells, door hinges or pipes to alert firefighters of incoming alarm faxes made national news. [10] Merely 48 pieces of apparatus were available for service, down from 66 in the year 2010. [11] A number of ladder trucks continued to be pressed into service without working aerials.
In December 2014, the City of Detroit emerged from bankruptcy protection. Funds for replacement and maintenance of parts of the aging fleet and facilities were included with the new budget. Mutual aid arrangements with fire departments in the two enclaves, the cities of Highland Park and Hamtramck, were formalized in October 2014. [12] [13]
In 2015, with a first batch of ten new fire engines going in service. Previously browned out Engine Company 32 was also reopened. New vehicles bolstered the fleet available to EMS and for fire investigators.
Following 2012's reduction, the standard assignment to a structure fire was again increased to 3 Engines, 1 Truck, 1 Squad and 1 Chief. In 2016[ citation needed ], an expanded type of first alarm assignment called Commercial Box Alarm was introduced to better handle fires in structures bigger than a standard dwelling. Six new fire engines were placed in service in 2016, one of them replacing the Quint at Engine Company 48, plus reinstating Ladder Company 13 as a permanently staffed unit. So far, Engine Companies 1, 9, 17, 27, 30, 32, 33, 39, 40, 42, 48, 50, 53, 56, 58, and 59 have all been assigned new Smeal fire apparatus.
For the year 2017, six new HME/Ahrens-Fox Squad trucks, nine Smeal rearmount ladder trucks, two Ferrara platform ladder trucks, eight Ferrara fire engines, fourteen Braun Medic Units and a number of Light and Air units are scheduled to enter service. In 2022, 6 new Smeal engines and 10 new ambulances were placed in service making all frontline fire trucks and ambulances 8 years or newer.
Prior to bankruptcy, the city of Detroit had to cope with a large number of fires. The number of vacant buildings throughout the city, combined with a dire economic situation, resulted in numerous fires on a daily basis. About 85% of the fires that occur daily in Detroit occur in vacant homes and buildings. In 2011 alone, the DFD responded to over 9,000 working structural fires.
A large number of these fires are believed to be "incendiary" (or arson) [nb 1] , far above the national average of about 7.8%. [15] In the early 2010s, there were no accurate statistics for determining the arson rate in Detroit due to the fact that only a fraction of the fires could be investigated by the limited resources of the DFD Arson Unit. Only fire scenes which have been investigated can be ruled as incendiary or arson fires. Those fires which have not been investigated must be classified as "undetermined" unless an investigation is completed.
Numbers of fires per year declined subsequently, with 4,600 structure fires in 2014 and 3,700 in 2015. On average, Detroit firefighters attended to 11 to 16 fires per day in 2015. By the end of 2015, 8 police officers were added to the Fire Investigation Unit of 16 Fire Investigators bringing the total to 24 members. By the end of 2022, there was a drastic decrease to 2154 structure fires. [5]
The Detroit Fire Department is divided into 7 divisions: Communications, Community Relations, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Firefighting Operations, Fire Marshal, Fire Investigations and Training. [16]
The DFD operates a separate Emergency Medical Services Division. In September 2013, Automated External Defibrillators (AED devices) were put in service on the fire apparatus as a first step into performing life support to citizens as first responders. As of 2015, Detroit firefighters are trained medical first responders and have the ability to handle patient care until Emergency Medical Services units arrive.
This section needs to be updated.(February 2017) |
The Emergency Medical Services division operates with limited manpower. As a result, many calls are handled by the DFD until a unit is available. The availability of Emergency Medical Services units is often compromised due to the number of calls in a city which has a lot of violence, citizens calling 911 for non-emergencies, as well as the breaking down of the Emergency Medical Services rigs due to age, mileage, and lack of proper maintenance.
Thanks to Mayor Bing's collaboration with the business community, Roger Penske sponsored 23 new ambulances for the department, which were put into service in the summer of 2013. Many of these, however, soon developed defects. [17] More new ambulances were purchased throughout the following years.
As of February 2019, there are a total of 38 fire stations in the city of Detroit, not including the Fire Headquarters. There are 27 Engine Companies, 13 Ladder Companies, 6 Tactical Mobile Squads, 2 Fireboats, and 2 Hazardous Material Response Units [1] as well as 24 Medic Ambulances and several specialized units. These fire stations and companies are organized into 8 battalions, each headed by one Battalion Chief each shift. [18]
Engine Company | Ladder Company | Medic unit | Specialized Unit | Battalion Chief Unit | Battalion | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Engine 1 | 1 | 111 Montcalm | ||||
Engine 9 | Ladder 6 (Platform) | Medic 21 | 1 | 3737 E Lafayette | ||
Engine 16 (Curtis Randolph) (Fire Boat-1) | 40 24th St | |||||
Engine 16 (Sivad Johnson) (Fire Boat-2) | 40 24th St | |||||
Engine 17 | Ladder 7 (Platform) | Battalion Chief 5 | 5 | 6100 Second Ave | ||
Engine 27 | Ladder 8 | Medic 19 | Battalion Chief 7 | 7 | 4700 Fort St | |
Engine 30 | Medic 3 | 4 | 16543 Meyers Rd | |||
Engine 32 | Medic 23 | Battalion Chief 6 | 6 | 11740 E Jefferson | ||
Engine 33 | Ladder 13 | 7 | 1041 Lawndale | |||
Engine 34 | 2 | 6345 Livernois | ||||
Engine 35 | Medic 20 | 5 | 111 Kenilworth St | |||
Engine 37 | Medic 09 | 7 | 2820 Central | |||
Engine 39 | Medic 1 | 5 | 8700 14th St | |||
Engine 40 | Ladder 17 (Platform) | Medic 10 | 8 | 13939 Dexter | ||
Engine 41 | Medic 14 | 6 | 5000 Rohns | |||
Engine 42 | Medic 02 Medic 26 | 2 | 6324 W Chicago | |||
Engine 44 | Ladder 18 | Battalion Chief 8 | 8 | 35 W 7 Mile | ||
Engine 46 | 3 | 10101 Knodell | ||||
Engine 48 | Medic 11 | 7 | 2300 S Fort St | |||
Engine 50 | Ladder 23 | Medic 15 | Battalion Chief 3 | 3 | 12985 Houston- | |
Engine 52 | Ladder 31 | 6 | 5029 Manistique St | |||
Engine 53 | Ladder 25 | Medic 17 Medic 27 | 4 | 15127 Greenfield | ||
Engine 54 | Ladder 26 | Medic 04 | 4 | 16825 Trinity | ||
Engine 55 | Ladder 27 | Medic 05 Medic 25 | Battalion Chief 2 | 2 | 18140 Joy Rd | |
Engine 56 | Medic 16 | 8 | 18601 Ryan Rd | |||
Engine 57 | 2 | 13960 Burt Rd | ||||
Engine 58 | Medic 24 | 3 | 10801 Whittier | |||
Engine 59 | Medic 22 | Squad 01 | Battalion Chief 4 | 4 | 17800 Curtis | |
Engine 60 | Medic 28 | 3 | 19701 Hoover | |||
Ladder 20 | Medic 06 | Squad 02 | 1 | 433 W Alexandrine | ||
Squad 03 Tac 02 | 6 | 1818 E Grand Blvd | ||||
Medic 07 | Squad 04 | 5 | 1697 W Grand Blvd | |||
Medic 18 | Squad 05 | 8 | 18236 Livernois | |||
Medic 12 | 6 | 2200 Crane | ||||
Medic 13 | Squad 06 | 3 | 10700 Shoemaker | |||
Ladder 22 | 2 | 6830 McGraw | ||||
Medic 08 | Haz-Mat. 1, Decon. 1 Air 1 Foam Trailer 1 Apparatus Division | Battalion Chief 1 | 1 | 3080 Russell St. @ Wilkins St. | ||
Below is the division and rank structure of the Detroit Fire Department, including car/radio callsign designations. [19]
Administration Division (100 callsigns)
Firefighting Division (200 callsigns)
Fireboat
Medical Division (300 callsigns)
Communications Division (400 callsigns)
Apparatus Division (500 callsigns)
Emergency Medical Services Division (1100 callsigns)
Alarm Type | Alarm Level | Companies/Units Assigned |
---|---|---|
Still Alarm | 1st Alarm Assignment | 1 Engine Company, or 1 Engine Company and 1 Ladder Company |
Box Alarm | 1st Alarm Assignment | 3 Engine Companies, 1 Ladder Company, 1 Squad Company, 1 Chief Unit, 1 Ambulance |
Commercial Box Alarm | 1st Alarm Assignment | 4 Engine Companies, 2 Ladder Companies, 2 Squad Companies, 2 Chief Units, 1 Ambulance, 1 EMS Supervisor |
2nd Alarm Fire | 2nd Alarm Assignment | 3 Engine Companies, 2 Ladder Companies (with 1 Platform Truck Company), 1 Squad Company, 1 Chief Unit, Car 203 (Senior Chief), 1 Ambulance, 1 Medic Supervisor |
3rd Alarm Fire | 3rd Alarm Assignment | 3 Engine Companies, 1 Ladder Company, 1 Squad Company, 1 Chief Unit, 1 Deputy Chief Unit (Car 201 or Car 202), 1 Ambulance, 1 EMS Supervisor, Mobile Command Unit |
Motor Vehicle Accident/Elevator Rescue | Special Assignment | 1 Engine Company, 1 Squad Company, 1 Chief Unit, 1 Medic Unit |
Confined-Space Rescue | Special Assignment | 1 Engine Company, 1 Squad Company, 1 Chief Unit, 1 Medic Unit |
Bomb Threat | Special Assignment | 4 Engine Companies, 1 Ladder Company, 1 Squad Company, 1 Chief Unit, Haz-Mat. Unit, 1 Medic Unit |
Police Assist/Access | Special Assignment | 1 Ladder Company or 1 Squad Company, 1 Chief Unit |
Additional EMS units are added at the discretion of Medical Incident Command on scene.
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 4 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 may be unofficially 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 the county and whose name may directly confuse people, as the county seat is the city. Another possible reason is that the city and the unincorporated county are often bordering each other and thus the two appear to be serving the same area. 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 fire suppression and fire prevention, and is a major provider of EMS services in New York City. Beyond fire suppression and EMS, the FDNY is responsible for a broad range of services, including technical rescue, CBRN defense, and structural collapse response and analysis. The FDNY is equipped with a wide variety of general-purpose and specialized Vehicles,Tools and Equipment to serve its varied missions.
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.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue is one of the largest fire departments in the State of Florida. With 51 stations Palm Beach County Fire Rescue provides fire protection, Advanced Life Support, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials' mitigation, aircraft rescue/firefighting, fire investigation, and 911 dispatching for unincorporated parts of Palm Beach County, Florida as well as 19 cities under contract.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is a combination career and volunteer organization that provides fire suppression services, emergency medical response services, technical rescue services, hazardous materials Response services, water rescue services, life safety education, fire prevention and arson investigation services to Fairfax County, Virginia. Emergency medical services include advanced life support response by ALS capable engines and transport units.
Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Department is the fire and rescue service provider for the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as the cities of Wilton Manors and Lazy Lake through service contracts. Additionally the FLFRD is responsible for ARFF at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. In 2013, the department responded to 44,387 calls for service.
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) provides fire and EMS services to the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba. It operates from 27 fire stations, and 3 administration offices across the city.
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 Kansas City Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical service for Kansas City, Missouri, and under contract to Village of the Oaks, Village of Oakwood Park, and Village of Oakwood. It provides fire protection only under contract to City of Lake Waukomis, City of Platte Woods, City of Weatherby Lake, and Village of Ferrelview. In addition, it provides EMS support under contract for the City of Riverside. It operates 35 fire stations, one dedicated EMS operations facility housing dynamically deployed ambulances, organized into seven battalions and cover 318 square miles (820 km2).
The Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) provides fire and rescue protection and emergency medical services to the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. In total the department serves 278 square miles (720 km2).
The Dutchess County Department Of Emergency Response has the responsibility of governing Emergency operations in Dutchess County, New York. This encompasses Police, Fire and EMS.
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 District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, established July 1, 1804, provides fire protection and emergency medical service for the District of Columbia, in the United States. An organ of the devolved district government, Fire & EMS is responsible for providing fire suppression, ambulance service and hazardous materials containment for the federal district.
The New Haven Fire Department (NHFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of New Haven, Connecticut. The New Haven Fire Department currently serves a population of over 130,000 people living in 19 square miles of land and is one of the largest fire departments in the state.
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 San Rafael Fire Department (SRFD) provides fire and emergency medical services to the City of San Rafael, California. The San Rafael Fire Department serves an estimated population of 72,000 people with approximately 70 firefighting and emergency medical field personnel. The ISO Class 1 department responds to, on average, approximately 9,000 emergency calls annually, with about 70% being emergency medical calls. EMS patients are transported to the hospital of their choice, unless the call is urgent.
The Yonkers Fire Department (YFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Yonkers, New York, United States.
The history of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, which grew gradually as volunteer companies formed between 1770 and 1860, then more rapidly with the addition of paid members starting in 1864 and the transition to a fully paid department in 1871, has been marked in recent years by various controversies and scandals.
The Vancouver Fire Department (VFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Vancouver and, by contract, Clark County Fire District 5, in Washington, United States. The VFD's response area is 91 square miles (240 km2) with a population of over 288,000 (2021). 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.
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