The Louisville Division of Fire, commonly known as the Louisville Fire Department or Louisville Fire & Rescue (abbreviated LFD or LFR), is the sole
fire suppression
Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...
agency for the city of
Louisville, Kentucky and is one of nineteen
fire department
A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...
s within the
Louisville-Jefferson County,
Kentucky metropolitan area. The Louisville Division of Fire is the second largest fire department in
Kentucky behind Lexington Fire Department. The Louisville Division of Fire responded to 31,836 incidents in 2013. the
Chief of Department was Gregory Frederick.
History
The Louisville Fire Department is the third oldest all-paid staff fire department in the nation. The first
fire brigades established in Louisville were in 1780, two years after the city's creation. The first
firehouses in Louisville were
volunteer fire departments scattered throughout the city until June 1, 1858, when the city took control and replaced the
hand engines with five
steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
s and
volunteers with paid staff. There were initially three
fire stations, 65 full-time
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 23
horses.
Operations
The Louisville Division of Fire currently operates out of 21 fire stations, located throughout the city in 4
battalions. Each battalion is commanded by a
battalion chief. The 4 battalions are under the command of a citywide
tour commander each
shift
Shift may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Gaming
* ''Shift'' (series), a 2008 online video game series by Armor Games
* '' Need for Speed: Shift'', a 2009 racing video game
** '' Shift 2: Unleashed'', its 2011 sequel
Literature
* ''Sh ...
. The Louisville Division of Fire operates 18
engine companies, 8
truck companies (including 3
quints), 2
rescue companies, 3
HazMat units, 3
fireboats, 1
ventilation unit, 3
utility mule
As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...
ATV
ATV may refer to:
Broadcasting
* Amateur television
*Analog television
Television stations and companies
* Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra
* ATV (Armenia)
* ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate
* ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourne
* ATV (Austria)
* AT ...
s, and numerous special, support, and reserve units.
Rescue Company 2 (housed with, and staffed by, the crews of Engine 2 and Truck 1) provides high-angle and dive rescue services. Rescue Company 11 (housed with, and staffed by, the crew of Quint 7) provides trench and structural collapse rescue services.
Hazardous materials incidents are handled by Haz-Mat Companies 1, 19, and 21. Haz-Mat Company 1 is housed with Engine 1 adjacent the
Louisville International Airport, Haz-Mat Company 19 is housed with Engine 19 in the city's west side, near the
Rubbertown area, which is home to many industrial plants, and Haz-Mat Company 21 is housed with Engine 21 on the city's northeast side, near downtown.
Stations and apparatus
Below is a list of stations and apparatus in use by the Louisville Division of Fire.
See also
*
Historic Firehouses of Louisville
The Historic Firehouses of Louisville is a Thematic Resource (TR) Multiple Property Submission (MPS) on the National Register of Historic Places. The submission represents 18 historic fire stations, located in Louisville, Kentucky, which were ad ...
**
Louisville Firehouse No. 2
**
Steam Engine Company No. 7
The Steam Engine Company No. 7 building is a historic firehouse located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The two-story, brick structure was built in 1871. It is an excellent example of the application of Victorian design principles to a uti ...
References
{{Kentucky fire departments
Fire
Fire departments in Kentucky
Organizations established in 1858
1858 establishments in Kentucky