Kansas City Fire Department
 |
|
| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Missouri
|
| City |
 Kansas City
|
| Agency overview | |
| Annual budget | $151 million (2015) |
| Staffing | Career |
| Fire chief | Paul Berardi |
| IAFF | 42 |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Battalions | 7 |
| Stations | 32 |
| Engines | 30 |
| Trucks | 12 |
| Rescues | 3 |
| Ambulances | 22 |
| HAZMAT | 2 |
| Airport crash | 3 |
| Wildland | 4 |
| Light and air | 1 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
| IAFF website | |
The Kansas City Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical service for Kansas City, Missouri. It now operates 34 fire stations that are organized into seven battalions and cover 318 square miles (820 km2).
The Kansas City Fire Department first originated with the formation of volunteer bucket brigades as early as 1858. Church bells rung to signal a fire alarm and members would assemble at the scene to help. In 1867, the city abandoned the voluntary bucket brigade for a paid fire department, and Colonel Frank Foster was elected as its first chief.
The first ladder company was organized in 1869, named McGee Hook and Ladder 1 in honor of former mayor Elijah Milton McGee. By 1872, the department consisted of three steamers, one hook and ladder, one chemical engine, and 36 paid professional firefighters.
In 1877, not long after the city water works had been established, the city leaders thought that there would be sufficient water pressure to fight fires. The fire chief was ordered to remove all of the steamers from service and reduce the force to only 14 men. Shortly thereafter, there was a disastrous fire in the . The KCFD was only able to respond with hose wagons and suffered from low water pressure. As a result, the entire block was threatened and several buildings were destroyed. The steamers were placed back in service the next day.
In 1882, George C. Hale was appointed Chief of the KCFD, a role he held for 31 years. During this time, the KCFD twice represented the United States as the "American Fire Team" at International Fire Congress: London in 1893 and a Paris exposition in 1900. The London competition simulated a night alarm. The men began the race turned out in bed, had to descend a flight of stairs, harness and hitch the horses, and clear the engine house. The best time in Europe was 77.5 seconds, but was handily beaten in 8.5 seconds by the team from Kansas City. The KCFD fire crew won a similar competition at the National Fireman's Tournament in Omaha in 1898. Hale, once known as the world’s most famous fireman, revolutionized fire fighting with his more than 60 patented firefighting inventions, including the Hale water tower, the swinging (horse) harness, the rotary tin roof cutter, and the telephone fire alarm. Chief Hale remains one of the most revered to ever head the KCFD.
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Wikipedia