Atlanta Fire Rescue Department

The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Atlanta, Georgia.[2] The department is responsible for an area of 132.6 square miles (343 km2) with over 519,000 residents.[2] As of January 21, 2021, the Fire Chief is Rod Smith.[3]

Atlanta Fire Rescue Department
Operational area
Country United States
State Georgia
City Atlanta
Agency overview[1]
Annual calls87,320 (2014)
Employees1,125 (2015)
Annual budget$107,490,763 (2015)
StaffingCareer
Fire chiefRod Smith
EMS levelALS and BLS
IAFF134
Facilities and equipment
Battalions7
Stations35
Engines35
Trucks17
Squads3
USAR2
Airport crash10
Rescue boats4
Website
Official website
IAFF website

History

The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department got its start in February 1848 when residents were ordered to have fire buckets ready in their homes. It wasn't until three years later, after several major fires, that the Georgia Legislature approved a bill that authorized the formation of Atlanta Fire Company No. 1, which went into service on March 25, 1851.[4]

Stations and apparatus

The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department currently operates out of 34 fire stations, located throughout the city of Atlanta, organized into 7 Battalions, including an Airport Battalion commanding 5 Fire Stations that serve the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Below is a list of all of the fire station locations in the city.[5][6]

Fire Station Number Neighborhood Engine Company or ARFF Engine Company Truck Company,Tower Company or ARFF Truck (Quint) Company Special Unit Division Chief or Battalion Chief units Battalion
1 Castleberry HillEngine 1*Truck 1Decon. Unit 1, Air Unit 7, Air Shuttle UnitDivision Chief 13
2 Lakewood HeightsEngine 2*Truck 2Decon. Unit 2, Air Bag Unit 21
3 North BuckheadEngine 3Mobile Command Unit6
5 WestsideEngine 5*G.S.A.R. Unit 61 (collapse rig)Battalion Chief 44
4 Old Fourth WardEngine 6*Squad 4, T.S.U. 15
7 West EndEngine 7*EMS-2*4
8 Hills ParkEngine 8Battalion Chief 22
9 AdamsvilleEngine 9*2
10 Grant ParkEngine 10Truck 10Antique Light TruckBattalion Chief 55
11 Atlantic StationEngine 11Tower 11Mini-Pumper 11, Swift Water/Dive Rescue Unit3
12 EdgewoodEngine 12Truck 125
13 East AtlantaEngine 13*Mass Decon Unit 5
14 Oakland CityEngine 14Truck 141
15 MidtownEngine 15*Truck 15Battalion Chief 33
16 Washington ParkEngine 16*Truck 162
17 WestviewEngine 17*4
18 KirkwoodEngine 185
19 Virginia-HighlandEngine 193
20 Capitol View ManorEngine 201
21 Buckhead ForestEngine 21*Truck 21Air Bag Unit 21, G.S.A.R. Unit 6Battalion Chief 66
22 Grove ParkEngine 222
23 Berkeley ParkEngine 23*Mini-Pumper 233
24 Hartsfield–Jackson AirportEngine 24 (ARFF)Truck 47ARFF 1, ARFF 2, Squad 24, Mini-Pumper 517
25 Cascade HeightsEngine 25Truck 254
26 WestministerEngine 26*Truck 266
27 Chastain ParkEngine 27Hose Tender 276
28 RiversideEngine 28Foam 28,2
29 Piedmont HeightsEngine 29Truck 296
30 Glenrose HeightsEngine 30*Battalion Chief 11
31 Ben HillEngine 31Truck 314
32 Hartsfield–Jackson AirportEngine 32 (ARFF)Med. Unit 1, ARFF, ARFF7
33 Hartsfield–Jackson AirportEngine 33 (ARFF)Truck 43 (ARFF Quint)ARFF 5, ARFF 6, EMS 3*7
34 Poole CreekEngine 34Mobile Ambulance Bus 11
35 Hartsfield–Jackson AirportEngine 35 (ARFF)Med. Unit 2, ARFF 7, ARFF 8, ARFF ReserveBattalion Chief 77
38 Brookview HeightsEngine 38*Truck 382
40 Hartsfield–Jackson AirportEngine 40 (ARFF)Truck 41 (ARFF Quint)Med 3, ARFF 3, ARFF 4, Squad 47, Stair Unit 487

Former stations

Notable incidents

Great Atlanta fire
Main article: Great Atlanta fire of 1917

The Great Atlanta fire of 1917 broke out in the Old Fourth Ward around 12:30 pm on May 21, 1917.[7] At the time of the fire, the department had simple horse-drawn fire apparatus and the city's fire hydrants were running with low pressure. It is unclear just how the fire started, but it was fueled by hot temperatures and strong winds.[7] After nearly 10 hours, 300 acres (120 ha) had burned, destroying 1,900 structures and displacing over 10,000 people. Damages were estimated at $5 million, ($100 million when adjusted for inflation).[7]

Winecoff Hotel fire
Main article: Winecoff Hotel fire

The Winecoff Hotel fire, which occurred on December 7, 1946, was the deadliest hotel fire in United States history, killing 119 hotel occupants, including the hotel's owners.[8] The Winecoff Hotel had been advertised as "absolutely fireproof." While the hotel's steel structure was indeed protected against the effects of fire, the hotel's interior finishes were combustible, and the building's exit arrangements consisted of a single stairway serving all fifteen floors.[8] All of the hotel's occupants above the fire's origin on the third floor were trapped, and the fire's survivors either were rescued from upper-story windows or jumped into nets held by firemen.

Fire Station No. 16

During the civil rights movement, members of the African-American community pressured the Mayor and City Council of Atlanta to integrate the city's fire department. In 1962, Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. authorized the first hiring of sixteen African American firemen. On April 1, 1963, after completing training, they were housed at Fire Station No. 16, as stations were not yet integrated. Located in 1048 Simpson Rd. (now Joseph E. Boone Blvd.), the station was built upon the former property of Theodore "Tiger" Flowers, the world’s first African American middleweight champion. Continuing the efforts to diversify the fire department, Mayor Maynard Jackson ordered the hiring of seven African-American women to serve as firefighters in 1977.[9]

Bluffton University bus accident
Main article: Bluffton University bus accident

The Bluffton University bus accident was an automobile crash that occurred during the early morning hours of March 2, 2007, on Interstate 75 in Atlanta. A chartered motorcoach was carrying 33 members of the Bluffton University baseball team when at about 5:38 am EST, the bus rolled off of an overpass killing seven and injuring 29 others. The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department was the primary agency on scene for the crash.

References
  1. "2015 Adopted Budget". City of Atlanta. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  2. "About Us". Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  3. "City of Atlanta names Rod Smith new fire chief". www.fox5atlanta.com.
  4. "History". Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  5. "Fire Station and NPU Locations". Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  6. "Fire Station and NPU Locations". Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  7. Watts, Gabbie (30 April 2015). "Old Fourth Ward Remembers Great Atlanta Fire Of 1917". WABE. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  8. "Tragedy In The South: The Winecoff Hotel Fire of 1946". The Winecoff Hotel Fire. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  9. Seibert, David. "Fire Station No. 16". GeorgiaInfo: an Online Georgia Almanac. Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved 18 November 2016.


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