Boston Fire Department

Boston Fire Department

Agency overview
Established	1678
Employees	1,467 uniformed 68 fire alarm operators 76 civilian
Staffing	Career
Commissioner	Roderick Fraser
Fire chief	Ronald W. Keating
EMS level	BLS
Facilities and equipment
Stations	35
Engines	34 (incl. Fire Brigade Engine 54)
Trucks	20 ladder (incl. Fire Brigade Ladder 31) 3 tower
Rescues	2
Fireboats	2

The Boston Fire Department (BFD) provides fire protection services for Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The department serves approximately 609,000 people in a 47-square-mile (120 km²) area of the city proper and additional mutual aid to 32 surrounding communities of the Greater Boston Metro Area including Logan International Airport. A separate agency, Boston Emergency Medical Services, provides emergency medical services for the city.

History

1631 - 1678

The Boston Fire Department traces its roots back to 1631, a year after the city was founded, when the first fire ordinance was adopted. In what then was the Massachusetts Bay Colony of the Kingdom of England, the city banned thatched roofs and wooden chimneys. However, it wasn't until 1653 that the first engine was appropriated to provide pressure for water lines.

1678 - 1837

In 1678, the city founded a paid fire department, and hired Thomas Atkins to be the first fire chief. On February 1, 1711, the town appointed a group of Fire Wards, each responsible for the operation and maintenance of equipment assigned to a region of the city. It wasn't until 1799 that the first leather fire hose was used, after being imported from England.

1837 - 1910

The department underwent its first reorganization in 1837 when the hand engine department reorganized, reducing the number of active engines to fourteen. By December 31, 1858, the department had 14 hand engines, 3 hook and ladder carriages, and 6 hydrant (hose) carriages. On November 1, 1859, Engine Co. 8 began service as the first steam engine in the department. The reorganization of 1859-60 replaced the department's 14 hand engines with 11 new steam engines, forming the departmental hierarchy still used today.

The department was the first in the world to utilize the telegraph to alert fire fighters of an emergency, installing the system in 1851. The first fire alarm was transmitted via the Fire Alarm Telegraph system on April 29, 1852.

The famous Boston fire of 1872 led to the appointment of a board of fire commissioners. The Boston Fire Department also provided assistance in the Great Chelsea Fire of 1908 and the Great Salem Fire of 1914.

The department purchased its first steam fireboat in 1873, and installed fire poles in the stations in 1881.

1910 - present

On July 29, 1910, the department purchased its first motorized apparatus. From 1914 until 1923, horse drawn engines as well as steam and motorized engine companies were in use in Boston. Ladder 24 was the last company to replace its horses in 1923 when it became motorized. In 1925, the last fire horses were retired. It wasn't until 1926 that the last steam engine was converted to a motorized engine. The department first started using radio communication in 1925, installing radios in the fireboats, chiefs' cars, and rescue companies.

By 1960, the department operated 48 engines, 29 ladders, 1 rescue, and 2 fireboats. By the end of the decade, the standard 85-foot (26 m) ladder trucks were replaced by 100-foot (30 m) aerial ladders with tillers.

In the 1970s, the department experimented with lime-green colored apparatus, but reverted back to the traditional red in 1984, when the Department made the switch to E-One fire apparatus.

In the early 1980s, an arson ring caused over 600 fires, many reaching multiple-alarm status. The group was ultimately caught and convicted.

Also in the early 80's, the Department experienced a dramatic number of cutbacks due to budget cuts. The number of Engine Companies dropped from 43 to 33, the Fire Brigade was disbanded (only to be reopened in the mid-80's), the number of Ladder Companies went from 28 to 21, and one of the two Tower Companies was disbanded and reduced to a regular Ladder Company (bringing the total to 22 Ladder Companies). Rescue 2 was disbanded, but reorganized in 1986.

Apparatus

Engine 37, an E-One

The Boston Fire Department uses a variety of apparatus, from a variety of companies. Currently, the department purchases its engines and ladders from Pierce and E-One. The engines currently in use are the Pierce Enforcer (10), E-One Cyclone II (19), and E-One Protector (5). The ladders currently in use are the E-One 110’ (15 in use), Pierce 95' Mid-Mounted Tower (2 in use), Pierce Dash 105' (4 in use, one with All-Wheel Steering), Pierce 85’ Rear-Mounted Tower (1), and one 1973 Maxim 85' Mid-Mount assigned to the Fire Brigade on Long Island in Boston Harbor. The two Rescue Companies, Rescues 1 and 2, run a 2007 Pierce Quantum and a 1996 E-One Cyclone II, respectively. From 2002 to 2005, the Department purchased a number of apparatus from Pierce. In 2006 the department switched back to E-One with the delivery of four Cyclone II pumpers and six 110' rear mount aerials. The department has also made two purchases from KME; an air supply unit and a heavy rescue slated to replace Rescue 2's 1996 E-One.

Safety

Questions have been raised about the safety of the apparatus on the Boston Fire Department. On January 9, 2009, Lieutenant Kevin Kelley, 52, was killed and another firefighter was seriously injured when the apparatus he was riding on, Ladder 26, struck a building while returning to the station from a medical call. A braking malfunction has been cited as the culprit of the fatal accident. Ladder 26, accompanied by Engine 37, was stationed out of the Huntington Avenue fire station which has been said to be the busiest in Boston.

On January 11, 2009, only two days after the fatal accident, another apparatus malfunction occurred. Ladder 15 was en route to Boston Fire Headquarters to have maintenance work done when the turbo fuel injector malfuctioned, flooding the engine thus launching the truck into a parked vehicle. That day Ladder 15 was using a nineteen year old reserve apparatus out of the Boylston Street fire station. It's 2004 frontline piece was out for maintenance.

Both incidents raised questions about the safety of the fire department's apparatus. The Firefighters Union called upon the Massachusetts State Police Vehicle Inspection Unit to inspect all fire apparatus at the Boston Fire Department.

Divisions

The Boston Fire Department consists of seven divisions:

• Fire Suppression — The most visible members of the department, this division provides the fire protection and rescue services for the city of Boston. The services provided include fire fighting, medical evaluation, vehicle extrication, hazardous material response, confined space rescue, structural collapse rescue, trench collapse rescue, and more. The department operates engine companies, ladder companies, and rescue companies, each providing distinctly separate services at a fire or other emergency.
• Fire Prevention — This division is responsible for maintaining records, granting permits, conducting public education, and inspecting buildings.
• Training, Maintenance and Research — This division supervises the development of the fire fighters from probation to retirement. Also, the division conducts research to improve techniques and equipment, evaluating new tools before their implementation. The Emergency Medical Services and the Safety Operations Unit are also within this division.
• Special Projects — This division was created in January 1992 to monitor the safety of the Boston Harbor Project and the Central Artery/Tunnel Project. The activities of the division include plans review, permit issuance, and inspections. With the completion of the Boston Harbor Project, the division now only monitors the Central Artery/Tunnel Project.
• Office of Strategic Planning — This division was established in 1996 to replace the Special Services Division, providing the city with an Incident Command System, Office of Emergency Management, and Local Emergency Planning Committee.
• Information and Technology — This division maintains and improves technological appliances of the department, such as automated external defibrillators (AED), computers, and communications devices. From 2003-06, the division installed mobile data terminals (MDT) in all engine and ladder companies as well as command vehicles.
• Personnel — This division includes the Administration Section, Selection Unit, Medical Office, Personnel Assignments of Officer’s Section, and the Employees Assistant Program. The division keeps the records of each fire fighter, communicates with other departments, unions, and agencies, and hears grievances, disciplinary hearings, and appeals.

Firehouses

Quarters of Engine 10 constructed as part of 125 High Street office tower

The following is a list of fire companies in Boston.

• Engine 2/Ladder 19: 700 East Fourth St - South Boston
• Engine 3: 618 Harrison Ave - South End
• Engine 4/Ladder 24: 200 Cambridge St - West End/Beacon Hill
• Engine 5: 360 Saratoga St - Day Square, East Boston
• Engine 7/Tower Ladder 17: 200 Columbus Ave - Back Bay
• Engine 8/Ladder 1: 392 Hanover St - North End
• Engine 9/Ladder 2: 239 Sumner St - Maverick Square, East Boston
• Engine 10/Tower Ladder 3/Rescue 1: 125 Purchase St - Downtown
• Engine 14/Ladder 4: 174 Dudley St - Roxbury
• Engine 16: 9 Gallivan Blvd - Dorchester
• Engine 17/Ladder 7: 7 Parish St - Dorchester
• Engine 18/Ladder 6: 1884 Dorchester Ave - Dorchester
• Engine 20: 301 Neponset Ave - Dorchester
• Engine 21: 641 Columbia Rd - Dorchester
• Engine 22: 700 Tremont St - South End
• Engine 24/Ladder 23: 36 Washington St - Grove Hall, Dorchester
• Engine 28/Tower Ladder 10: 746 Centre St - Jamaica Plain
• Engine 29/Ladder 11: 138 Chestnut Hill Ave - Brighton
• Engine 30/Ladder 25: 1940 Centre St - West Roxbury
• Engine 32/Ladder 9: 525 Main St - Charlestown
• Engine 33/Ladder 15: 941 Boylston St - Back Bay
• Engine 37/Ladder 26: 560 Huntington Ave - Roxbury
• Engine 39/Ladder 18: 272 D St - South Boston
• Engine 41/Ladder 14: 460 Cambridge St - Allston
• Engine 42/Rescue 2: 1870 Columbus Ave - Roxbury
• Engine 48/Ladder 28: 60 Fairmont Ave - Hyde Park
• Engine 49: 209 Neponset Valley Pkwy - Readville
• Engine 50: 34 Winthrop St - Charlestown
• Engine 51: 425 Faneuil St - Oak Square, Brighton
• Engine 52/Ladder 29: 975 Blue Hill Ave - Dorchester
• Engine 53/Ladder 16: 945 Canterbury St - Roslindale
• Engine 55: 5115 Washington St - West Roxbury
• Engine 56/Ladder 21: 1 Ashley St - Orient Heights, East Boston
• Fire Brigade(Engine 54/Ladder 31): Long Island - Boston Harbor
• Marine Unit: Burroughs Wharf - North End

Notable fires

See List of historic fires

Great Fire of 1760

The first "Great Fire" of Boston destroyed 349 buildings on March 20, 1760.

Great Fire of 1872

The second "Great Fire" of Boston began on November 9, 1872. The fire destroyed 776 buildings, killed 13 people, and caused $75,000,000 in property damage. The fire required mutual aid companies from as far away as New Haven, Connecticut.

Cocoanut Grove Fire

The Cocoanut Grove fire is the deadliest nightclub fire in US history. At 10:15 PM on November 28, 1942 the fire began when a short in the electrical wiring ignited gas leaking from a faulty refrigeration unit. The fire eventually claimed 492 lives, and injured hundreds more. It was the second deadliest single-building fire in the US. Only the Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago in 1903 killed more people (602).

Trumbull Street Fire

On the night of October 1, 1964, an abandoned 4-story factory caught fire in the South End. The building collapsed, resulting in the death of 5 firefighters: Lieutenant John J. McCorkle (Engine 24), Lieutenant John J. Geswell (Ladder 26), Firefighter Robert J. Clougherty (Engine 3), Firefighter Francis L. Murphy (Engine 24) and Firefighter James B. Sheedy (Ladder 4); and a civilian photographer.

Paramount Hotel Fire

A large natural gas explosion occurred on January 28, 1966 at 17 Boylston Street. Fifty-seven people were injured, and eleven died as a result of the explosion and fire.

Vendome Hotel Fire

At 2:35 PM on Saturday, June 17, 1972, Box 1571 was received at Boston Fire Alarm for the Hotel Vendome on Commonwealth Avenue at Dartmouth Street in the Back Bay. It took nearly three hours to stop the 4-alarm blaze. During overhauling operations the southeast section of the building unexpectedly collapsed killing 9 of Boston's bravest: Lieutenant Thomas J. Carroll (Engine 32), Lieutenant John E. Hanbury (Ladder 13), Firefighter Richard B. Magee (Engine 33), Firefighter Joseph F. Boucher (Engine 22), Firefighter Paul J. Murphy (Engine 32), Firefighter John E. Jameson (Engine 22), Firefighter Charles E. Dolan (Ladder 13), Firefighter Joseph P. Saniuk (Ladder 13) and Firefighter Thomas W. Beckwith (Engine 32); and injuring 8 more.

This fire was the worst tragedy in the history of the Boston Fire Department and one of the dozen most deadly fires in the history of U.S. firefighting.

East Boston gas surge

The East Boston gas surge took place on September 24, 1983.

West Roxbury Fire

On the evening of August 29th 2007, firefighters responded to a report of a fire in the Tai-Ho Chinese restaurant in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. It was reported that smoke was observed on arrival, and a second alarm was promptly transmitted out of concern for the adjoining businesses.

Shortly after crews entered and began their initial attack, a suspected partial roof collapse and explosion trapped several firefighters inside. Witnesses observed and reported that about that time, a large fireball exploded out from the front of the restaurant windows several feet into the street and air.

The RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) was activated to search for the trapped and missing firefighters. As many as a dozen firefighters were evacuated and transported to area hospitals with various injuries. Two firefighters, Firefighter Paul J. Cahill of Engine 30 and Firefighter Warren J. Payne of Ladder 25, died as a result of their injuries sustained as a result of the explosion and collapse.

Controversies

Toxicology results leaked by city officials allegedly from the autopsies on the two firefighters killed in the August 2007 fire were said to have indicated that one fire fighter had a BAC of .27 (three times the legal driving limit) and the other had cocaine in his system. .

In January 2009 a Boston ladder truck lost its brakes and slammed into a building killing a veteran fire Lieutenant and injuring two other fire fighters. The investigation of the incident found brake failure was the cause, and a subsequent inspection of the fleet discovered several fire trucks had to be removed from service because of faulty brakes. Although the department had firefighters assigned to the motor squad, a unit who was responsible for remedial tasks such as headlight replacement, changing flat tires and dead batteries, the brake systems were repaired by outside vendors. It was determined that a preventative maintenance and certified mechanics needed to be hired to maintain the fleet.

Through 2007, 2008, and 2009 the firefighters' Local 718 and the City of Boston have yet to sign a contract, and the issues have been sent to an outside arbitrator to be settled.

External links

• Boston Fire Department Official Website
• Boston Fire Department Local 718 Union Website
• List of Boston Fire Boxes and Locations
• BFD ladder truck crashes into car
• call for fire dept vehicle inspections after another accident