Jefferson County Fire Service
.gif) |
|
| "Dedication, Loyalty, Honor" | |
| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country |
 United States of America
|
| State |
 Kentucky
|
| County |
 Jefferson County
|
| Agency overview | |
| Established | 1947 |
| Employees | 418 Career 433 Volunteers |
| Staffing | Combination |
| EMS level | BLS & ALS |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Stations | 43 Active |
| Engines | 35 Engines + 14 Reserve 3 Squrts + 2 Reserve 1 Snozzle + 0 Reserve 2 Quads + 2 Reserve |
| Trucks | 0 + 1 Reserve |
| Tillers | 3 + 0 Reserve |
| Platforms | 1 + 0 Reserve |
| Quints | 12 Quints + 3 Reserve 1 Telesqurts + 2 Reserve |
| Ambulances | 2 ALS + 1 Reserve 0 BLS + 0 Reserve |
| Tenders | 2 + 0 Reserve |
| Fireboats | 1 |
| Light and air | 1 |
| Website | |
| http://www.jeffcofire.com | |
The Jefferson County Fire Service (abbreviated as JCFS and known locally as "County Fire" or "Suburban Fire") is an organization that unifies the 17 independent fire protection districts outside the original Louisville city limits. The JCFS was formed for the purpose of mutual aid, dispatch, training, and local standardization. The Shively Fire Department is the only suburban department that has not joined the JCFS. The Shively Fire Department uses the same dispatch and radio channels as the Louisville Division of Fire.
Before 1947 Jefferson County Fiscal Court operated the Jefferson County Fire Department. The department operated three engine companies from three stations equally spread across the unincorporated county land.
A chapter of Kentucky's codified set of laws, the Kentucky Revised Statutes allows for the incorporation of fire protection taxing districts in otherwise unincorporated areas. As the population of Jefferson County grew after the Second World War small communities began to believe the services of the county fire department were wholly inadequate for their growing needs. These communities secured the votes necessary to establish fire protection districts. The districts levied a tax based on a property owner's total real estate worth and allowed for more money to be available exclusively for fire protection. Eventually 21 separate districts were formed, completely covering all of Jefferson County outside of the Cities of Louisville and Shively. Since it was now unnecessary Jefferson County Fiscal Court disbanded the county fire department completely in 1964.
City–county merger
The 2003 merger of Louisville and Jefferson County governments did little to affect the Jefferson County fire districts. Since the merger other non-official names for JCFS have been coined such as "Louisville Metro Suburban Fire" and the "Suburban Division, Louisville Metro Fire". Since Louisville Metro Government has no direct control over 18 of the 19 fire departments inside its boundaries, to refer to any fire department in the area as "metro" would be misleading and inaccurate. Although held by some to be pejorative, the term "Suburban Fire" is used exclusively by Metro Government to refer to Jefferson County Fire Service member districts.
The merger legislation permits the continuing existence of all governmental subdivisions of the county including cities and fire protection districts. It does, however, prohibit the incorporation of new ones. Consequently, and as a result of financial woes, several districts have chosen to dissolve and to be absorbed by neighboring districts. Strict mergers of districts are not possible since a new governmental entity would necessarily be created.
...
Wikipedia