Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department
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The Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) in Pasadena, Texas is said to be the largest single municipal, all volunteer, fire department in the United States.[citation needed] Its membership includes over 190 active and 45 semi-active firefighters. The department responds to approximately 170 alarms per month within the City of Pasadena, including technical rescue calls, and hazardous materials incidents.
The City of Pasadena itself was incorporated in 1928, and the Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department was established shortly thereafter in 1930 with a base membership of 25 Firemen. The Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department is the lead agency for Fire Suppression and Technical Rescue response for the City of Pasadena, Texas, but has Mutual Aid Agreements with all of its neighboring cities as well as many other nearby municipal and industrial fire departments. Emergency Medical Services are provided by a third service (private) ambulance service under contract to the city.
The PVFD further provides mutual aid fire protection to Ellington Field, Johnson Space Center, and the University of Houston-Clear Lake. It is also an active member of the Channel Industrial Mutual Aid (CIMA) organization, which is a conglomeration of municipal and industrial fire departments that respond to the numerous petrochemical plants in the region.
PVFD is a progressive department that prides itself on partaking in aggressive interior attacks on fire to protect life and property. The highways and industry in PVFD's district also tax the department's technical rescue abilities on a regular basis. with this in mind, members are trained in the department's Fire Academy and then assigned to a station. All members further their training each Monday night at their station's drill sessions. Members of the service are also encouraged to attend classes at Texas Engineering Extension Service, the Texas A&M Fire School, CIMA classes and drills, as well as other department's classes.
The command structure of the fire department includes an Executive Board, Pension Board, Secretary, Treasurer, and an Assistant Secretary/Treasurer. It also maintains a Training Staff, Medical Officer, Supply Officer, and Reporter Historian. Rounding out it's support staff is the Safety Staff, Chaplain Corps, Public Liaison Officer and Information Technology Officer. PVFD is also the parent organization to the Pasadena Fire Marshall's Office, which handles inspections, fire prevention, and cause and origin investigations.
The department maintains over 40 pieces of rolling stock as well as multiple boats housed in 9 stations with one additional headquarters building. The oldest apparatus in the fleet is Pasadena's very first fire engine, a 1929 American LaFrance pumper that is nicknamed "Old Betsy". This classic "ALF" still drives in local parades and to special events in the community. A state of the art, live fire, burn building is located at PVFD's training field.
