Portland Fire Department (Oregon)
| Always Ready, Always There | |
| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Oregon
|
| City | Portland |
| Agency overview | |
| Established | January 3, 1883 (volunteer force established 1850) |
| Annual calls | 67,191 (2010) |
| Employees |
|
| Annual budget | $91 million (2010) |
| Staffing | Career |
| Fire chief | Mike Myers |
| EMS level | ALS |
| IAFF | 43 |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Battalions | 4 |
| Stations | 30 |
| Engines | 28 |
| Trucks | 10 |
| Squads | 3 |
| Rescues | 1 |
| Tenders | 1 |
| HAZMAT | 1 |
| USAR | 1 |
| Wildland | 4 |
| Fireboats | 4 |
| Rescue boats | 2 |
| Light and air | 2 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
| iaff%20website | |
Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau, also known as the Portland Fire Bureau, and sometimes informally the Portland Fire Department, provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The department is responsible for an area of 151 square miles (390 km2), with a population of over 632,309. It is the largest fire and emergency services provider in Oregon.
Portland's first firefighting services were provided by Pioneer Fire Engine Company no. 1, established in 1850 by Thomas Dryer, founder of the The Oregonian newspaper. It consisted of 37 volunteers wearing red shirts and operating a single hand pump. A fire at a steam mill in 1853 illustrated the need for an organized firefighting force, and on July 29, 1853, the Vigilance Hook and Ladder Company no. 1 was created, consisting of 36 volunteers. Less than a month later, 22 volunteers formed the Willamette Engine Company no. 1, and the first engine house in Portland was built on a donated lot on Yamhill Street.
On May 22, 1854, the Portland city council passed an ordinance establishing the Portland Fire Department. H. W. Davis was elected as the first "chief engineer" (or chief) and was reelected to the position in 1855 and 1856. In 1857, businessman S. J. McCormick was elected chief. A reorganization of the department in 1857 brought the Willamette Company no. 1, the Multnomah Engine Company no. 2 (which had been formed in 1856) and Vigilance Hook and Ladder Company no. 1 into the Portland Fire Department, which thereupon had a total of 157 members (volunteer firefighters). Another reorganization in 1859 added the Columbia Engine Company no. 3 to the department; it was the first engine company in Portland to use horses. As the city's population grew, additional fire companies were organized, including the Protection Engine Company no. 4, in 1862; the Tiger Company no. 5, in 1873; and the Couch Engine Company no. 6, in 1880.
On August 2, 1873, the Great Fire of 1873 broke out, burning for over 12 hours and destroying 22 blocks in the heart of the city. In 1883, the Portland Paid Fire Department submitted its first annual budget to City Council.
As of May 2016[update], the department operates out of 30 fire stations strategically located the city.
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Wikipedia