Baltimore City Fire Department
 |
|
| "Pride Protecting People" | |
| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Maryland
|
| City |
 Baltimore
|
| Agency overview | |
| Established | 1859 (Founded 1797) |
| Annual calls | ~235,000 |
| Employees | 1,800 |
| Staffing | Career |
| Fire chief | Niles Ford |
| EMS level | ALS & BLS |
| IAFF | 734 (firefighters) 964 (officers) |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Battalions | 6 |
| Stations | 38 (Including 1 Fireboat Station) |
| Engines | 31 |
| Trucks | 17 |
| Squads | 3 |
| Rescues | 1 |
| Ambulances | 37 |
| HAZMAT | 3 |
| Fireboats | 2 |
| Light and air | 2 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
| IAFF website | |
The Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland. 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.
Baltimore's early firefighting was performed by volunteers. The various companies engaged in serious rivalries, resulting in what a Baltimore mayor termed "irregularities". For example, gangs operating out of firehouses participated in the Know-Nothing Riot of 1856. A municipal organization was established in 1859.
The Great Baltimore Fire in 1904 burned for thirty hours straight and decimated a major part of central Baltimore, including over 1,500 buildings. Mutual aid companies from as far away as Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York City were called in to assist. The fire led to uniform national standards in fire fighting equipment and protocols. As with other large fires of the time, it was a predecessor to the stringent fire codes of today.
The Baltimore City Fire Department responds from 31 fire stations located throughout the city. The BCFD operates 31 engine companies, 17 truck companies, 4 squad companies, 1 rescue company, 2 fireboats, 24 medic units, 11 critical alert medic units, 2 peak medic units, 2 medical assist cars (M.A.C.), as well as numerous other special, support, and reserve units. These companies are organized into 6 battalions, each under the command of a battalion chief. Each battalion chief reports to the on-duty shift commander.
Each BCFD frontline engine company and each frontline truck company is staffed by an officer and 3 firefighters per shift. Each engine company is staffed by a lieutenant or captain, a pump operator (driver), and 2 firefighters each shift. Each truck company is staffed by a lieutenant or captain, an emergency vehicle driver (EVD) (two drivers if the truck operates a tractor-drawn apparatus), and a firefighter each shift. The captain of a BCFD company is in command of that company. In a fire station with more than one fire company, the senior captain of one of the two or more companies is the "house captain", in command of the fire station that the two or more companies share. Each BCFD medic unit is staffed by two paramedics per shift. Each battalion chief's unit is operated by a battalion chief and his/her aide/driver.
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Wikipedia