The Worcester Fire Department (WFD) provides
fire protection
Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as we ...
and
emergency medical services
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
to the city of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Englan ...
,
.
The department serves an area of with a population of 183,000 residents.
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]
Stations and Apparatus
Below is a complete listing of all WFD fire station locations and fire companies in the city of Worcester according to District. The Southbridge, Grove Street and Franklin Fire Stations have 2 Engine Companies. Ladder 2 and Ladder 5 are Tiller Ladders. Ladder 3 and Ladder 7 are Tower Ladder Trucks. Ladders 4, 1, and 6 are Regular Aerial trucks.
Disbanded Fire Companies
Throughout the history of the Worcester Fire Department, several fire companies have been disbanded.
* Engine 1 - Central St. & Major Taylor Blvd. - Disbanded 2007
* Engine 10 - 424 Park Ave. - Disbanded 2007
* Engine 14 - Cambridge St. & McKeon Rd. - Disbanded 1991
Notable incidents
Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire
On December 3, 1999, six firefighters were killed at the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire
The Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire began on December 3, 1999, in a 93-year-old abandoned building at 266 Franklin Street, Worcester, Massachusetts. The fire was started accidentally some time between 4:30–5:45pm by two homeless peo ...
. The fire occurred at 6:13 p.m. in an abandoned cold storage warehouse at Box 1438, 266 Franklin Street. Six Worcester firefighters died while looking for two homeless victims thought to be trapped in the blaze. The fire went to five alarms and took six days to bring under control. Those killed were:
*Lieutenant Thomas Spencer, 42, Ladder 2
*Firefighter Paul Brotherton, 41, Rescue 1
*Firefighter Jeremiah Lucey, 38, Rescue 1
*Firefighter Timothy Jackson, 51, Ladder 2
*Firefighter James Lyons, 34, Engine 3
*Firefighter Joseph McGuirk, 38, Engine 3
Services for the firefighters were held in the DCU Center
The DCU Center (originally Centrum in Worcester, formerly Worcester's Centrum Centre and commonly Worcester Centrum) is an indoor arena and convention center complex in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. The facility hosts a variety of events, ...
(then called Worcester's Centrum Centre). The funeral procession was broadcast on several national news networks and was attended by President Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
, Vice President Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
, Senator Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
and Senator John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...
(who flew non-stop from Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, where he had been attending a diplomatic function). Also in the procession were firefighters from around the United States, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and from Dublin, Ireland
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...
.
Because his cousin, FF. Lucey, and high school friend, Lt. Spencer were killed in the fire, actor/comedian Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. A native of Massachusetts, Leary first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song "Asshole (song), Assh ...
, a Worcester native, started the Leary Firefighters Foundation
The Leary Firefighters Foundation (LFF) provides funding and equipment to fire departments throughout the United States.
On December 3, 1999, six firefighters in Worcester, Massachusetts were killed in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fi ...
in 2000 to give aid and support to many fire departments, particularly those suffering from budget shortfalls by providing them with new equipment.
References
External links
Official Website
IAFF Local 1009 - Worcester Firefighter's Union
Worcester 6 Memorial Website
Box 4 Special Services Canteen Association
{{Authority control
Fire departments in Massachusetts
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...