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Fire departments
Before the 1850s, there were only volunteer fire companies. In 1853 Cincinnati, Ohio, became the first city with a fully paid fire department, followed four years later by the St. Louis Fire Department in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1855 the Metropolitan Hook and Ladder Company Number 1 Firehouse, Washington's oldest extant firehouse, was built at Massachusetts Avenue. Then in 1859 came the fully paid Fire Force in Indianapolis (IFD) by the guidance and authority of Mayor Samuel Dunn Maxwell going as far as to ban the volunteer departments from the city. As a proud Norse Celt,' 2023 will be better he vowed that "Indianapolis will only accept aggressively paid firemen possessing the bravery and strength of a Highland Warrior and the dedication to battle like the Viking". Many volunteer companies disbanded around America's larger cities, however, Volunteer fire departments still protect property and play an important role, as they do even today. Later the specialized life-saving units in American fire departments - the pompier corps - were formed.
FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Curry at the World Trade Center site of 2001 September 11 attacks.
In the 20th century, the nature of an American firefighter's job began to change. Structural firefighting was still the main purpose of the department, but more specialized training and education, such as for high-rise structure fires, confined space environments, and building construction education were included and emphasized. Other disciplines were taken on as responsibilities in lifesaving. An example of such is the practice of Paramedicine which debuted in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Presently, almost all fire departments across the United States have been trained in and perform technical rescue, vehicle rescue, high-angle rescue, wildland firefighting, and hazardous materials incidents. Additionally, almost all career departments as well as many volunteer departments have emergency medical assets at their immediate disposal.
Several notable events have killed many firefighters. Japanese planes attacked Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) personnel responding to the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, killing three. 343 New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighters were killed when the World Trade Center collapsed during the attacks of September 11, 2001. In 2007, the Sofa Super Store fire in Charleston, South Carolina, killed nine members of the City of Charleston Fire Department.
In 2011, there were about 1.1 million firefighters in the country. 31% were paid, and the remainder volunteered. The nation has seen an increase in paid positions; an 8.6% decrease in volunteers from 2008 to 2011.[19] As of 2018, this decline continued, with 33% or 370,000 being career firefighters and 67% or 745,000 being volunteers.[2]
Company and unit types
Fire trucks in Seattle
Fire companies and units come in several types. Note that the names below are not standard and have numerous local variations. Examples of these units are described below.
Engine company or pumper company
Engine Companies or Pumper Companies operate units that pour water onto a fire and perform other duties at different Emergency calls. Modern engine companies or pumper companies almost always operate "triple-combination" units that have a pump, a tank of water, and hoses. This company has the primary responsibility of supplying water to a scene, to locate and confine the fire, and extinguish the fire. Some engine companies or pumper companies are equipped for some levels of medical first response or medium rescue response. Engine Companies or Pumper Companies have a varied number of personnel on board but there is usually a Driver or Engineer, an officer (Either a Lieutenant or Captain) and either two, three, or more firefighters.
Truck company or ladder company
Truck Companies or Ladder Companies are units that carry ladders and an aerial device and other equipment to access buildings above ground level and assist in other emergencies. Some truck companies or ladder companies have been designated "quint trucks". Primarily, the truck company or ladder company performs the ladder work and supplies master streams to the fireground. The truck company or ladder company also performs structural ventilation and overhaul, primary and secondary search & rescue, securing of utilities, and often supplies rapid intervention teams. Some ladder trucks also have rescue and medical equipment. There are several types of ladder companies or truck companies in the United States fire service. This includes Hook and Ladder Companies,Tower Ladder Companies,Aerial Tower Companies,etc. Some aerial ladder trucks will also act as quint trucks if necessary. The number of personnel on Truck Companies or Ladder Companies depends on the Response profile and department.
Heavy rescue company
Heavy Rescue Companies are units that carry a large variety of tools and equipment to assist in the search and rescue of victims at an incident such as a fire, traffic collision or other situations. It may or may not provide emergency medical response and may or may not transport patients to hospital depending on its response profile. The New York City Fire Department has five heavy rescue companies. The Chicago Fire Department has four heavy squads in service. some departments, including the Albany (New York) Fire Department and Baltimore City Fire Department have only one heavy rescue company. A variety of specialized equipment and tools are found on a Heavy Rescue Company apparatus. This includes The Jaws Of Life Hydraulic Rescue Tool Systems (Spreaders,Cutters,Combi Tools,Rams,Etc),Numerous Specialized Power Saws,Numerous Air Bags,Specialized Air,Electric and Battery operated Power Tools,Rope Rescue Equipment,Hazardous Materials Response Equipment,Emergency Medical Services Equipment and other types of specialized Tools and Equipment.
Squad company
This type of unit has many different local and regional definitions. In the New York City Fire Department and Baltimore City Fire Department, for example, a squad company is a hybrid company consisting of an apparatus equipped with supplies necessary to perform some levels of rescue operations as well as engine company and truck company operations. Some of these supplies include The Jaws Of Life Hydraulic Rescue Tools Systems (Spreaders,Cutters,Combi Tools,Rams,Etc),Air,Electric and Battery operated Power Tools,Specialized Power Saws,Air Bags,Rope Rescue Equipment, Hazardous Materials Response Equipment,Emergency Medical Services Equipment and other specialized Tools and Equipment. In some areas it is identical to a rescue unit or a medic company. A squad in the Los Angeles County Fire Department is a small truck which is the primary response vehicle for rescue and medical responses. it carries a small amount of firefighting, rescue and medical equipment. A fictional squad example is Squad 51 from the TV show Emergency!. It was used by two paramedics in the Los Angeles County Fire Department to respond to a variety of emergencies from medical calls to fire incidents and others
Medic units/Ambulances
Medic Units and Rescue Ambulances are units that provide Emergency Medical Services (EMS),often at the Paramedic/Advanced Life Support response level or Emergency Medical Technician/Basic Life Support response level. Many fire services offer some form of medical response and ambulance units or medic companies may or may not transport patients to hospitals. Cardiac Monitors and Defibrillators,Cardiac Drugs,Oxygen Equipment,Intubation and Airway supplies and other equipment are found on Ambulances and Medic Units.
Short for quintuple-combination engine. This unit has the three items that an engine does -- pump, tank, hose -- but also carries ground ladders and has an aerial device and specialized equipment and tools for certain situations.
Hazardous Materials Company
Hazardous Materials Companies operate specialized units that deal with the mitigation of hazardous materials events. This truck may carry tools and equipment to deal with such events as train derailments, large vehicle accidents, industrial accidents, CBRNE events, and other situations that may threaten the public.
Tanker or tender truck
Tankers and Tender Trucks are units that have a large water tank. It may or may not also have a pump.
Brush patrol unit
A Brush Patrol unit is usually built on a heavy duty pickup chassis with equipment for fighting brush fires. A brush unit typically responds with an engine to major fires, though the brush unit may also respond alone.
Helicopter or air ambulance apparatus
Depending on the department a helicopter may be in use as an air ambulance or a suppression and Fire observation tool for brush fires. Some are even used for both as in the case of departments like the Los Angeles Fire Department. These units have specialized emergency medical services equipment or firefighting tools to help at certain rescue incidents or fire scenes.
Chief officer vehicle
A Chief Officer Vehicle is a command car containing a lower ranking chief officer in command of an area/district/division/battalion in a department that contains usually around three or more fire stations and companies/units that respond to large fires, mass casualty incidents, and any emergency with more than one unit responding. These vehicles have equipment that assist in providing command and control at fires or other incidents.
EMS supervisor or EMS captain Vehicle
Similar to a chief sedan vehicle the EMS supervisor or EMS captain vehicle contains a chief officer or other officers for emergency medical services which usually responds to large emergencies, and is usually tasked with directing medical resources on scene. These units have specialized equipment to help these members give instructions and provide command and control at certain scenes.
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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.
As cities grew this method became unreliable, and the first professional fire department was established in Cincinnati in 1853. By the 20th century fire departments were forced to adapt to more modern hazards and dangers, such as high rise and hazardous material fires. They also began to expand their services to include other, non-fire, public safety needs including vehicle rescue and EMS service.[1] As of 2018, 62% of fire departments offered some form of emergency medical response.[2]
Firefighters in the United States today are organized along paramilitary lines, and are most often grouped into city or county departments. They utilize modern equipment. Professional fire departments protect 68% of the US population, with a total of 1,216,600 firefighters serving in 27,228 fire departments nationwide and responding to emergencies from 58,150 fire stations.[2][3] Union firefighters are represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). The New York City Fire Department is the largest in the United States.
Overview
Since at least 1980, calls for fires have decreased as a proportion of total calls and in absolute numbers from 3,000,000 to 1,400,000 in 2011, while in the same period medical calls have increased from 5,000,000 to 19,800,000.
The professionalization of American firefighting was largely a result of three factors: the steam fire engines, the fire insurance companies, that demanded the municipalization of firefighting, and the theory that suggested payment of wages would naturally result in improved service.[9] Paid firefighters may be union or non-union. Union American firefighters are represented and united in the International Association of Fire Fighters with headquarters in Washington, D.C.[dubious – discuss] However, many municipalities still rely on volunteer, paid on call, or part-time firefighters. These non full-time firefighters are rarely union, and their interests are represented by the National Volunteer Fire Council.
The United States Fire Administration provides national leadership to local fire services. The fire departments report fires and other incidents according to the National Fire Incident Reporting System, which maintains records of the incidents in a uniform manner. The National Fire Protection Association sets and maintains minimum standards and requirements for firefighting duties and equipment. The suppression of wildfires is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This is done through the National Wildland Coordination Center.
The two million fire calls that American fire departments respond to each year represent the highest figures in the industrialized world. Each year thousands of people die, tens of thousands of people are injured, and property damage reaches billions of dollars. Indirect costs, such as temporary lodging expenses, lost time at work, medical expenses, and psychological damages are equally high (the United States Fire Administration 1996). According to American Red Cross statistics, the annual losses from floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters combined in the United States average just a fraction of those from fires. House fires in particular are one of the most common tragedies facing emergency disaster workers in recent history. According to the US Fire Administration, the United States has a more severe fire problem than generally perceived. In inner city Pennsylvania neighborhoods, house fires have greatly increased, especially in socially and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. A trend in these specific house fires is that sixty percent of these houses do not have working smoke detectors. Additionally, these households are prone to using supplemental heating devices and substandard extension cords that are not Underwriters
There is no single standard system of rank insignia in use, but certain ranks are common. Many variations in insignia systems make use of the voice trumpet, a type of megaphone, and these are frequently referred to as a "bugle."
Firefighter (occasionally probie) is the lowest rank. Often, it may be subdivided into grades (such as 1st class, senior, or master firefighter - typically awarded based on seniority), which may or may not be marked on the individual's badge or by uniform rank insignia.
Driver, engineer, or fire equipment operator are used by many departments. Usually, no insignia is present, but the badge will often note the rank. Some will have multiple grades of this rank.
Lieutenant is typically used as the lowest "fire officer" rank, usually being marked by a single bugle, often in silver. Some departments instead use a single bar (as in military / police fashion), again, usually in silver. Others may use a single gold bugle or bar. Some departments have multiple grades of lieutenant. An older name for the same rank, still used by some fire departments, is assistant foreman.
Captain is used in most large or municipal departments, usually being denoted with a pair of parallel bugles or parallel bars, connected by a thin cross-bar, in either silver or gold. This is frequently used as a senior supervisor of an individual company. A captain may be in command of a single-apparatus firehouse in either a municipal or small department. At a firehouse with two or more apparatus, there will typically be two captains with one serving as the firehouse's commander. In Philadelphia, for example, a captain in charge of a ladder company is the commanding officer of that firehouse, and the captain of the engine company supervises the medic unit in that station. Although only working on 1 of 4 shifts as the company officer, the captain is the supervising officer of the house overall and is reported to by the lieutenants on the other 3 shifts, even though he/she is not present during those shifts. As with lieutenant, some departments still use the older style, Foreman, instead of captain.
Senior captain is rarely used, and may be shown as 2 bugles crossed.
Battalion chief (sometimes division chief or district chief) is often the highest-ranking shift officer that is always on duty at any given time in a smaller department (i.e., operating as the shift commander); or,in the case of a larger departments comprising multiple battalions,there may be Battalion Chiefs, District Chiefs and Division Chiefs assigned to supervise a large number of fire companies and Special Units in each battalion, district or division. This is common in different parts of any city. (The Boston Fire Department, for example, has 10 district chiefs that operate under 2 division chiefs citywide, supervising a total of 34 engine companies,23 ladder companies,and 2 heavy rescue Companies along with several specialty units). This is usually the lowest chief rank. Typical insignia is two crossed gold bugles or two stars, although some departments use 3 bugles or 1 star. Some are occasionally identified with an oak leaf like a US military Major, as with the FDNY's BC collar insignia.
Additional chief grades usually exist between chief and battalion chief; usual insignia is 3 or 4 crossed gold bugles or 3 or 4 stars. Common titles include district chief, division chief, assistant chief, and deputy chief,etc.
Chief is usually the highest rank of a uniformed member in any given department, traditionally shown with 5 gold bugles or 5 stars.