Boston Fire Department

Boston Fire Department
Motto: "First in the Nation"
Established	1678
Staffing	Career
Strength	1,467 uniformed 68 fire alarm operators 76 civilian
Stations	34
Engines	34
Trucks	23
Rescues	2
Fireboats	3
EMS Level	BLS
Fire chief	Steve E. Abraira
Commissioner	Roderick Fraser

The Boston Fire Department (BFD) provides fire protection services for Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In addition to fire protection, the Boston Fire department also provides basic emergency medical services and respond to a variety of emergencies such as, but not limited to, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, electrical hazards, floods, and construction accidents. The department serves approximately 617,000 people in a 47-square-mile (120 km²) area of the city proper and additional mutual aid to 32 surrounding communities of the Greater Boston Metro Area including Logan International Airport. Headquarters is located at 115 Southampton Street, Roxbury. The Training Academy is located on Moon Island in Boston Harbor. The Boston Fire Department responds to approximately 65,000 emergency calls annually.

History

1631 - 1678

The Boston Fire Department traces its roots back to 1631, a year after the city was founded, when the first fire ordinance was adopted. In what then was the Massachusetts Bay Colony of the Kingdom of England, the city banned thatched roofs and wooden chimneys. However, it wasn't until 1653 that the first engine was appropriated to provide pressure for water lines.

1678 - 1837

In 1678, the city founded a paid fire department, and hired Thomas Atkins to be the first fire chief. On February 1, 1711, the town appointed a group of Fire Wards, each responsible for the operation and maintenance of equipment assigned to a region of the city. The grandfather of Herman Melville, Thomas Melvill, served as a town fire ward from 1779 to 1825.

It wasn't until 1799 that the first leather fire hose was used, after being imported from England.

1837 - 1910

The department underwent its first reorganization in 1837 when the hand engine department reorganized, reducing the number of active engines to fourteen. By December 31, 1858, the department had 14 hand engines, 3 hook and ladder carriages, and 6 hydrant (hose) carriages. On November 1, 1859, Engine Co. 8 began service as the first steam engine in the department. The reorganization of 1859-60 replaced the department's 14 hand engines with 11 new steam engines, forming the departmental hierarchy still used today.

The department was the first in the world to utilize the telegraph to alert fire fighters of an emergency, installing the system in 1851. The first fire alarm was transmitted via the Fire Alarm Telegraph system on April 29, 1852.

The famous Boston fire of 1872 led to the appointment of a board of fire commissioners. The Boston Fire Department also provided assistance in the Great Chelsea Fire of 1908 and the Great Salem Fire of 1914.

The department purchased its first steam fireboat in 1873, and installed fire poles in the stations in 1881.

1910 - present

On July 29, 1910, the department purchased its first motorized apparatus. From 1914 until 1923, horse drawn engines as well as steam and motorized engine companies were in use in Boston. Ladder 24 was the last company to replace its horses in 1923 when it became motorized. In 1925, the last fire horses were retired. It wasn't until 1926 that the last steam engine was converted to a motorized engine. The department first started using radio communication in 1925, installing radios in the fireboats, chiefs' cars, and rescue companies.

By 1960, the department operated 48 engines, 29 ladders, 1 rescue, and 2 fireboats. By the end of the decade, the standard 85-foot (26 m) ladder trucks were replaced by 100-foot (30 m) aerial ladders with tillers.

In the 1970s, the department experimented with lime-green colored apparatus, but reverted back to the traditional red in 1984, when the Department made the switch to E-One fire apparatus.

In the early 1980s, an arson ring caused over 600 fires, many reaching multiple-alarm status. The group was ultimately caught and convicted.

Also in the early 80's, the Department experienced a dramatic number of cutbacks due to budget cuts. The number of Engine Companies dropped from 43 to 33, the Fire Brigade was disbanded (only to be reopened in the mid-80's), the number of Ladder Companies went from 28 to 21, and one of the two Tower Companies was disbanded and reduced to a regular Ladder Company (bringing the total to 22 Ladder Companies). Rescue 2 was disbanded, but reorganized in 1986.

Divisions

The Boston Fire Department consists of seven divisions:

• Fire Suppression — The most visible members of the department, this division provides the fire protection and rescue services for the city of Boston. The services provided include fire fighting, medical evaluation, vehicle extrication, hazardous material response, confined space rescue, structural collapse rescue, trench collapse rescue, and more. The department operates engine companies, ladder companies, and rescue companies, each providing distinctly separate services at a fire or other emergency.
• Fire Prevention — This division is responsible for maintaining records, granting permits, conducting public education, and inspecting buildings.
• Training, Maintenance and Research — This division supervises the development of the fire fighters from probation to retirement. Also, the division conducts research to improve techniques and equipment, evaluating new tools before their implementation. The Emergency Medical Services and the Safety Operations Unit are also within this division.
• Special Projects — This division was created in January 1992 to monitor the safety of the Boston Harbor Project and the Central Artery/Tunnel Project. The activities of the division include plans review, permit issuance, and inspections. With the completion of the Boston Harbor Project, the division now only monitors the Central Artery/Tunnel Project.
• Office of Strategic Planning — This division was established in 1996 to replace the Special Services Division, providing the city with an Incident Command System, Office of Emergency Management, and Local Emergency Planning Committee.
• Information and Technology — This division maintains and improves technological appliances of the department, such as automated external defibrillators (AED), computers, and communications devices. From 2003-06, the division installed mobile data terminals (MDT) in all engine and ladder companies as well as command vehicles.
• Personnel — This division includes the Administration Section, Selection Unit, Medical Office, Personnel Assignments of Officer’s Section, and the Employees Assistant Program. The division keeps the records of each fire fighter, communicates with other departments, unions, and agencies, and hears grievances, disciplinary hearings, and appeals.

Operations

Apparatus Profile

Engine 37's former engine, an E-One

The Boston Fire Department uses a variety of apparatus from a variety of manufacturers. As with other departments within the City of Boston, purchasing of fire apparatus and other equipment is conducted through a competitive bid process. Although the department has had a significant, long term relationship with E-One and to a lesser degree Pierce, the department has no official policy of purchasing from a specific manufacturer. All of Boston's frontline pumpers are equipped with a 1250 gallon per minute pump and a 500 or 750 gallon tank. Approximately a third of the pumpers are also equipped with foam capabilities. The engines currently in use are the Pierce Enforcer, E-One Cyclone II, and E-One Protector. Boston's frontline ladder companies consist of rear mount aerial ladders with lengths of 110' and 105', mid mounted towers of 95' and a rear mounted tower of 85'. The city has two heavy rescue companies. Rescue 1 runs a 2007 Pierce Quantum and Rescue 2 recently took delivery of a 2009 KME Predator. In the summer of 2010, the department will take delivery of three KME pumpers and two E-One ladders. Chief's vehicles consist of Chevrolet Tahoes at the District Chief level and Chevrolet Suburbans at Deputy Chief. The commissioner and chief of department are both assigned Ford Crown Victorias. The department operates a total fire apparatus fleet of:

• 33 Engine Companies
• 19 Ladder Companies
• 3 Tower Ladder Companies
• 2 Rescue Companies
• 9 District Chief's Units
• 2 Division Chief's Units(C6 & C7)
• 3 Fireboats
• 2 Brush Fire Units
• 1 Haz-Mat. Unit(H3)
• 2 Decon. Units(H5 & H7)
• 1 Collapse Unit(H6)
• 1 Dive Unit(J20)
• 1 Technical Rescue Unit(H8)
• 1 Tunnel Rescue Unit(H4)
• 1 Special Lighting Unit(H2)
• 1 Air Supply Unit(W12)
• 1 Fireground Rehab. Unit(W25)
• 1 Special Operations Unit(T10)
• 1 Special Operations/Haz-Mat. Support Unit
• 1 Incident Command Unit(TCU)
• 1 Communications Unit
• 1 Safety Chief(H1)
• 1 Arson Unit
• 1 Fire Brigade comprising one Engine and one Ladder Truck on Long Island located in Boston Harbor
• Numerous other special, reserve, and support/staff units

Apparatus Safety

Questions have been raised about the safety of the apparatus on the Boston Fire Department. On January 9, 2009, Lieutenant Kevin Kelley, 52, was killed and 3 other firefighters were seriously injured when the apparatus they were riding on, Ladder 26, struck a building while returning to the station from a medical call. A braking malfunction has been cited as the culprit of the fatal accident. Ladder 26, accompanied by Engine 37, was stationed out of the Huntington Avenue fire station which has been said to be the busiest in Boston.

On January 11, 2009, only two days after the fatal accident, another apparatus malfunction occurred. Ladder 15 was en route to Boston Fire Headquarters to have maintenance work done when the turbo fuel injector malfunctioned, flooding the engine thus launching the truck into a parked vehicle. That day Ladder 15 was using a nineteen year old reserve apparatus out of the Boylston Street fire station. It's 2004 frontline piece was out for maintenance.

Both incidents raised questions about the safety of the fire department's apparatus. The Firefighters Union called upon the Massachusetts State Police Vehicle Inspection Unit to inspect all fire apparatus at the Boston Fire Department.

Fire Station Locations and Apparatus

Quarters of Engine 10, Tower Ladder 3, Rescue 1, and Division 1 in Downtown

Quarters of Engine 5 and District 1 in East Boston

The following is a list of all active Fire Stations in Boston with a list of the companies, units, and chiefs assigned to them:

Engine Company	Ladder Company	Rescue Company	Special Unit	Command Unit	Address	Neighborhood
Engine 2	Ladder 19				700 E. 4th St.	South Boston
Engine 3			H2(Special Unit)		618 Harrison Ave.	South End
Engine 4	Ladder 24			Car 3(District 3)	200 Cambridge St.	West End/Beacon Hill
Engine 5				Car 1(District 1)	360 Saratoga St.	Day Square/East Boston
Engine 7	Tower Ladder 17			Car 4(District 4)	200 Columbus Ave.	Back Bay/South End
Engine 8	Ladder 1				392 Hanover St.	North End
Engine 9	Ladder 2		H5(Decon. Unit)		239 Sumner St.	Maverick Square/East Boston
Engine 10	Tower Ladder 3	Rescue 1	H4(Tunnel Rescue), H6(Collapse Unit), J20(Dive Rescue)	Division 1(C6-Deputy Chief)	125 Purchase St.	Downtown/Financial District
Engine 14	Ladder 4				174 Dudley St.	Roxbury
Engine 16				Car 8(District 8)	9 Gallivan Blvd.	Dorchester
Engine 17	Ladder 7			Car 7(District 7)	7 Parish St.	Meeting House Hill/Dorchester
Engine 18	Ladder 6				1884 Dorchester Ave.	Ashmont/Dorchester
Engine 20			H1(Safety Officer)		301 Neponset Ave.	Dorchester
Engine 21					641 Columbia Rd.	Upham's Corner/Dorchester
Engine 22			H3(Haz-Mat. Unit), W25(Rehab. Unit)		700 Tremont St.	South End
Engine 24	Ladder 23				36 Washington St.	Grove Hall/Dorchester
Engine 28	Tower Ladder 10		H8(Tech Rescue)	Division 2(C7-Deputy Chief)	746 Centre St.	Jamaica Plain
Engine 29	Ladder 11			Car 11(District 11)	138 Chestnut Hill Ave.	Brighton Center/Brighton
Engine 30	Ladder 25				1940 Centre St.	West Roxbury
Engine 32	Ladder 9				525 Main St.	Charlestown
Engine 33	Ladder 15				941 Boylston St.	Back Bay
Engine 37	Ladder 26				560 Huntington Ave.	Mission Hill/Roxbury
Engine 39	Ladder 18		H7(Decon. Unit)	Car 6(District 6)	272 D St.	South Boston
Engine 41	Ladder 14				460 Cambridge St.	Union Square/Allston
Engine 42		Rescue 2		Car 9(District 9)	1870 Columbus Ave.	Egelston Square/Roxbury
Engine 48	Ladder 28		Brush Fire 1		60 Fairmont Ave.	Hyde Park
Engine 49					209 Neponset Valley Pkwy.	Readville
Engine 50					34 Winthrop St.	Charlestown
Engine 52	Ladder 29				975 Blue Hill Ave.	Dorchester
Engine 53	Ladder 16		Safe House	Car 12(District 12)	945 Canterbury St.	Roslindale
Engine 54	Ladder 31				Long Island(Fire Brigade)	Boston Harbor
Engine 55			Brush Fire 2		5115 Washington St.	West Roxbury
Engine 56	Ladder 21				1 Ashley St.	East Boston
			Fireboat "Firefighter", Fireboat "Norman Knight"		Burroughs Wharf	North End

Response Guidelines

Structure Fire Response

• Activated Fire Alarm Assignment:
  • 1 Engine
  • 1 Ladder
• 1st/Box Alarm Assignment:
  • 3 Engines
  • 2 Ladders
  • 1 Rescue
  • 1 District Chief
• Confirmed Fire/Full-Box Alarm Assignment:
  • 1 Engine(R.I.T.)
  • 1 Ladder(R.I.T.)
  • 1 District Chief(R.I.T.)
  • Fireground Rehab. Unit(W25)
• 2nd Alarm Assignment:
  • 3 Engines
  • 1 Ladder
  • 2 District Chiefs
  • 1 Division Chief(C6 or C7)
  • Safety Chief(H1)
  • Air Supply Unit(W12)
• 3rd Alarm Assignment:
  • 2 Engines
  • 1 Ladder
  • Special Unit(H2)
  • Field/Tac. Comm. Unit
  • 1 Public Info. Officer(C22 or C23)
• 4th Alarm Assignment:
  • 2 Engines
• 5th Alarm Assignment:
  • 2 Engines
  • 1 Ladder
• 6th Alarm Assignment:
  • 2 Engines
• 7th Alarm Assignment:
  • 2 Engines
  • 1 Ladder
• 8th Alarm Assignment:
  • 2 Engines
• 9th Alarm Assignment:
  • 2 Engines
• High-Rise Fire Assignment:
  • 4 Engines(1 for R.I.T.)
  • 3 Ladders(1 for R.I.T.)
  • 1 Rescue
  • 4 District Chiefs(1 for Evacuation, 1 for Accountability, 1 for R.I.T.)
  • 1 Division Chief(C6 or C7)
  • Safety Chief(H1)
  • Fireground Rehab. Unit(W25)
  • Air Supply Unit(W12)
• MBTA Station/Tunnel Fire Assignment:
  • 3 Engines
  • 2 Ladders
  • 1 Rescue
  • 1 District Chief
  • 1 Division Chief(C6 or C7)
  • Safety Chief(H1)
• Waterfront/Ship Fire Assignment:
  • 3 Engines
  • 2 Ladders
  • 1 Rescue
  • 1 District Chief
  • 1 Marine Unit(Fireboat)
• Brush/Large Outside Fire Assignment:
  • 2 Engines
  • 1 District Chief
  • 1 Brush Unit

Motor Vehicle Accident(MVA)/Emergency Medical Services(EMS) Response

• MVA Assignment/Vehicle Fire:
  • 1 Engine
  • 1 Ladder
• MVA w/Rollover/Entrapment Assignment:
  • 1 Engine
  • 1 Ladder
  • 1 Rescue
  • 1 District Chief
• EMS Assignment:
  • 1 Engine, 1 Ladder, or 1 Rescue

Haz-Mat. Incident Response

• Level 0 Assignment:
  • 1 Engine
  • 1 Ladder
• Level 1 Assignment:
  • 1 District Chief
  • Special Unit(H2)
  • 1 Haz-Mat. Inspector(T12, T13, or T14)
• Level 2 Assignment:
  • 1 Engines(Haz-Mat. Team)
  • 1 Ladder(Haz-Mat. Team)
  • Safety Chief(H1)
  • Haz-Mat. Unit(H3)
  • Rehab./Mass Casualty Unit(G25)
  • Mobile Command Post
  • 1 Boston Police Environmental Safety Group Unit(P1, P2, or P3)
• Level 3 Assignment:
  • 2 Engines(Decon.)
  • 1 Division Chief(C6 or C7)
  • 1 Public Info. Officer(C22 or C23)
  • Fire Investigation Unit(F.I.U.)(K4)
  • Fire Department Photographer(K7)

Notable Fires

See List of historic fires

Great Fire of 1760

The first "Great Fire" of Boston destroyed 349 buildings on March 20, 1760.

Federal Street Fire

A large fire occurred at 133-139 Federal Street on May 2, 1858. The building was constructed of granite and wood, and occupied by an axe manufacturer and a bindery. Two Boston Firefighters were killed as a result of the fire, when a wall collapsed onto the roof of a nearby building on which they were performing their duties. The deceased firefighters were the first two persons interred at the Fireman's Lot at Forest Hills Cemetery.

Great Fire of 1872

The second "Great Fire" of Boston began on November 9, 1872. The fire destroyed 776 buildings, killed 13 people, and caused $75,000,000 in property damage. The fire required mutual aid companies from as far away as New Haven, Connecticut and Manchester, New Hampshire.

Cocoanut Grove Fire

The Cocoanut Grove fire is the deadliest nightclub fire in US history. At 10:15 PM on November 28, 1942 the fire began when a short in the electrical wiring ignited gas leaking from a faulty refrigeration unit. The fire eventually claimed 492 lives, and injured hundreds more. It was the second deadliest single-building fire in the US. Only the Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago in 1903 killed more people (602).

Bellflower Street Conflagaration

On May 22, 1964, the Bellflower Street Conflagration occurred and ultimately destroyed or damaged 35 multi-family dwellings. This conflagration would greatly tax the resources of the Boston Fire Department and the Greater Boston mutual-aid network before being brought under control. Although many firefighters and citizens were injured, no fatalities were recorded.

Trumbull Street Fire

On the night of October 1, 1964, an abandoned 4-story factory caught fire in the South End. The building collapsed, resulting in the death of 5 firefighters: Lieutenant John J. McCorkle (Engine 24), Lieutenant John J. Geswell (Ladder 26), Firefighter Robert J. Clougherty (Engine 3), Firefighter Francis L. Murphy (Engine 24) and Firefighter James B. Sheedy (Ladder 4); and a civilian photographer.

Paramount Hotel Fire

A large natural gas explosion occurred on January 28, 1966 at 17 Boylston Street. Fifty-seven people were injured, and eleven died as a result of the explosion and fire.

Vendome Hotel Fire

At 2:35 PM on Saturday, June 17, 1972, an alarm from Box 1571 was received at Boston Fire Alarm for the Hotel Vendome on Commonwealth Avenue at Dartmouth Street in the Back Bay. It took nearly three hours to stop the 4-alarm blaze. During overhauling operations the southeast section of the building unexpectedly collapsed killing 9 Boston firefighters: Lieutenant Thomas J. Carroll (Engine 32), Lieutenant John E. Hanbury (Ladder 13), Firefighter Richard B. Magee (Engine 33), Firefighter Joseph F. Boucher (Engine 22), Firefighter Paul J. Murphy (Engine 32), Firefighter John E. Jameson (Engine 22), Firefighter Charles E. Dolan (Ladder 13), Firefighter Joseph P. Saniuk (Ladder 13) and Firefighter Thomas W. Beckwith (Engine 32); and injuring 8 more.

This fire was the worst tragedy in the history of the Boston Fire Department and one of the most deadly fires in the history of U.S. firefighting.

East Boston gas surge

The East Boston gas surge took place on September 24, 1983.

West Roxbury Fire

On the evening of August 29, 2007, firefighters responded to a report of a fire in the Tai-Ho Chinese restaurant in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. It was reported that smoke was observed on arrival, and a second alarm was promptly transmitted out of concern for the adjoining businesses.

Shortly after crews entered and began their initial attack, a suspected partial roof collapse and explosion trapped several firefighters inside. Witnesses observed and reported that about that time, a large fireball exploded out from the front of the restaurant windows several feet into the street and air.

The RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) was activated to search for the trapped and missing firefighters. As many as a dozen firefighters were evacuated and transported to area hospitals with various injuries. Two firefighters, Firefighter Paul J. Cahill of Engine 30 and Firefighter Warren J. Payne of Ladder 25, succumbed to their injuries sustained as a result of the explosion and collapse.

External links

• Boston Fire Department Official Website
• Boston Fire Department Local 718 Union Website
• List of Boston Fire Boxes and Locations
• Boston Fire Historical Society