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A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing
firefighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter.
Firefighters typically ...
apparatuses such as
fire engines
The Fire Engines were a post-punk band from Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Fire Engines were an influence on many bands that followed, including Franz Ferdinand and The Rapture, with Meat Whiplash and The Candyskins both taking their names from Fire ...
and related vehicles,
personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...
,
fire hose
A fire hose (or firehose) is a high-pressure hose that carries water or other fire retardant (such as foam) to a fire to extinguish it. Outdoors, it attaches either to a fire engine, fire hydrant, or a portable fire pump. Indoors, it can perm ...
s and other specialized equipment. Fire stations frequently contain working and living space for the
firefighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
s and support staff.
In large US cities, fire stations are often named for the primary fire companies and apparatus housed there, such as "Ladder 49". Other fire stations are named based on the district, neighborhood, town or village where they are located, or given a number.
Facilities
![MUTCD W11-8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/MUTCD_W11-8.svg)
A fire station will at a minimum have a garage for housing at least one
fire engine
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...
. There will also be storage space for equipment, though the most important equipment is stored in the vehicle itself. The approaches to a fire station are often posted with warning signs, and there may be a
traffic signal
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic.
Traffic light ...
to stop or warn traffic when apparatus are leaving or returning to the station.
Fire stations have often been built with a tower, for purposes that have changed with time. A
drill tower is used for practicing high-rise rescue, while a
hose tower
A hose tower is a structure constructed for hanging firehoses to dry. Hose towers have been features of some fire station designs in Canada, Germany, and the United States. The purpose of such towers was to hang and dry canvas hoses, slowing the ...
is used for hanging hoses to dry to prevent rot.
Historically, towers were lookouts for spotting fires.
Activities at a fire station include regular inspection and cleaning of the apparatus and equipment, and training drills in which the firefighters practice their skills. Some fire companies also host public activities at the fire station during events such as a "fire prevention week", and the facility may also be used for fund-raising by the "firemen's association", "
fire buff A fire buff is a person with considerable interest (a fan) in fire fighting and emergency services, while not being an active member of these services. Fire buffs may collect or promote information about the local emergency services, raise money fo ...
s", or "fire auxiliary".
Occupied stations
If the station is occupied full-time by career
firefighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
s, it will contain living quarters and work areas, where they wait until a callout comes through. Career firefighters are usually able to sleep during a night shift, so these stations will also have dormitories. There will be an alarm system to alert them of an
emergency call
Most public switched telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number (sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or the emergency services number) that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assista ...
, and to give some indication of where and what the emergency is. In some small fire departments, the only alarm may be a telephone for receiving calls.
Many fire stations were built with the living quarters above the garage. This arrangement is common for fire stations built in a crowded city. The
fireman's pole
A fireman's pole (also called a firefighter's pole, sliding pole or fire pole) is a pole that firefighters slide down to quickly reach the ground floor of a fire station. This allows them to respond to an emergency call faster, as they arrive at ...
was invented to allow firefighters to quickly descend to the garage. In modern times, agencies such as the
National Fire Protection Association
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. As of 2018, the NFPA claims to have 50,000 mem ...
have argued that these pose a safety hazard.
Modern fire stations are often built with the living quarters on the same level as the garage.
Unoccupied stations
Some fire stations are not regularly occupied, with the firefighting carried out by
volunteer
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
or
retained firefighters
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a retained firefighter, also known as an RDS Firefighter or on-call firefighter, is a firefighter who does not work on a fire station full-time but is paid to spend long periods of time on call to respond to em ...
. In this case, the firefighters are summoned to the fire station by
siren
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wisc ...
,
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
or
pager
A pager (also known as a beeper or bleeper) is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays alphanumeric or voice messages. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while response pagers and two-way pagers can also acknow ...
s, where they will then deploy the fire engine. These fire stations may still have office space for the firefighters, a library of reference and other materials, and a "trophy wall" or case where the firefighters display memorabilia.
See also
*
Firefighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter.
Firefighters typically ...
*
List of fire stations
This is a list of notable current and former fire stations, which are also called "fire houses", "fire halls", "engine houses", "hook and ladder companies" and other terms. It includes combination buildings, such as city halls or other government ...
*
Fire department
*
Fireman's pole
A fireman's pole (also called a firefighter's pole, sliding pole or fire pole) is a pole that firefighters slide down to quickly reach the ground floor of a fire station. This allows them to respond to an emergency call faster, as they arrive at ...
References
External links
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Firefighting