The Prescott Fire Department is the municipal fire department for the city of Prescott, Arizona. Additionally, the PFD provides aircraft rescue and firefighting for the Prescott Municipal Airport. Founded in 1885, it is the oldest fire department in the state of Arizona. With a coverage area of and serving a population of 39,843, the PFD consists of 92 career personnel, split among five fire stations.

History

Prior to 1884, Prescott had no water system for fire protection. Wells were sunk at the four corners of the courthouse plaza and double acting hand pumps were installed. In 1884 the water system was installed and the Prescott Volunteer Fire Department was started with a single hose company using a two-wheeled cart hand drawn with of hose. In 1954 the then four separate volunteer companies were merged into one and named Prescott Fire Department.

Granite Mountain Hotshots

The Granite Mountain Hotshots were a group within the department whose mission was to fight wildfires. Founded in 2002 as a fuels mitigation crew, it transitioned to a

handcrew Handcrews are diverse teams of career and temporary wildland firefighters. The crews typically consist of 18 to 20 firefighters but can also contain 4 to 6 and 8 to 10. These crews have the responsibilities of constructing firelines – strips of ...

(Type 2 I/A) in 2004, and ultimately to a

hotshot crew In the United States, a Shot Crew, officially known as an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), is a team of 20-22 elite operators which mainly responds to large, high-priority fires across the country and abroad. They are assigned to work the most chall ...

in 2008. The crew had their own fire station, station 7, where equipment, including two 10-person crew carriers, was housed. The 2017 film '' Only the Brave'' was based on the Granite Mountain Hotshots and the Yarnell Fire.

Yarnell Fire fatalities

On June 30, 2013, 19 members of the 20-man group died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. Only Brendan McDonough survived. The firefighters had apparently deployed

fire shelter A fire shelter is a safety device of last resort used by wildland firefighters when trapped by wildfires. While such a shelter cannot withstand sustained contact with flames, it can protect a firefighter's life in a short-lived grass fire. Furtherm ...

s, but not all of the bodies were found inside them. According to 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 ...

, it was the greatest loss of life for firefighters in a wildfire since 1933, the deadliest wildfire of any kind since 1991, and one of the greatest losses of firefighters in the United States next to the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

. Vice President Joe Biden attended the memorial and stated, "All men are created equal. But then, a few became firefighters."

Stations and apparatus

References

{{Authority control Fire departments in Arizona Emergency services in Yavapai County, Arizona Prescott, Arizona