Worcester Fire Department

Worcester Fire Department
Operational area
Country  United States
State  Massachusetts
City Worcester
Agency overview[1]
Established 25 February 1835
Employees 424 (2013)
Annual budget $33,940,872 (2013)
Staffing Career
Fire chief Gerard Dio
EMS level BLS
IAFF 1009
Facilities and equipment[2][3]
Stations 10
Engines 13
Trucks 3
Tillers 2
Platforms 2
HAZMAT 1
Website
Official website
IAFF website

The Worcester Fire Department (WFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts.[4] The department serves an area of 39 square miles (100 km2) with a population of 183,000 residents.[4]

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.

Station Address Engine Ladder Special Command District
Grove Street 141 Grove St Engine 3
Engine 16
Tiller Ladder 2 Car 3North[5]
Grafton 745 Grafton StEngine 7 South[6]
Southbridge 180 Southbridge Engine 2
Engine 13
Platform Ladder 3 SCUBA 1 Car 4 South [7]
Park 424 Park Ave Engine 4 Platform Ladder 7 South [8]
Webster Square 40 Webster St Engine 5 Ladder 4 Special Operations 1, Air Supply 1 South [9]
Franklin 266 Franklin St Engine 6
Engine 12
Ladder 1 Rescue 1, SCUBA 1 North[10]
Burncoat 19 Burncoat St Engine 8 North [11]
Tatnuck Square 1067 Pleasant St Engine 9 North [12]
Greendale 438 W. Boylston St Engine 11 Ladder 6 North [13]
McKeon 80 McKeon Rd Engine 15 Tiller Ladder 5 South [14]

Notable Incidents

Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire

On December 3, 1999, six firefighters were killerd at the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire.[15] 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.[16] The fire went to five alarms and took six days to bring under control. Those killed were:

Services for the firefighters were held in the DCU Center (then called Worcester's Centrum Centre). The funeral procession was broadcast on several national news networks and was attended by President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator John Kerry (who flew non-stop from Burma, where he had been attending a diplomatic function).[17] Also in the procession were firefighters from around the United States, Canada, and from Dublin, Ireland.[18]

Because his cousin, FF. Lucey, and high school friend, Lt. Spencer were killed in the fire, actor/comedian Denis Leary, a Worcester native, started the Leary Firefighters Foundation in 2000 to give aid and support to many fire departments, particularly those suffering from budget shortfalls by providing them with new equipment.[19]

References

  1. O’Brien, Michael. "Fiscal 2013 Annual Budget". City or Worcester. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  2. "Stations". Worcester Fire Department. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  3. "Stations". IAFF 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "About". Worcester MA Fire Department. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  5. "Grove Street Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  6. "Grafton Street Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  7. "Southbridge Street Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  8. "Park Ave Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  9. "Webster Square". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  10. "Franklin Street Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  11. "Burncoat Street Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  12. "Tatnuck Street Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  13. "Greendale Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  14. "McKeon Road Station". IAFF Local 1009. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  15. McDowell, Thomas. "Six Career Fire Fighters Killed in Cold-Storage and Warehouse Building Fire - Massachusetts". Division of Respiratory Disease Studies. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  16. "Abandoned Cold Storage Warehouse MultiFirefighter Fatality Fire". FEMA. Homeland Security. December 1999. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  17. Jarvey, Paul (9 December 1999). "Words are not enough". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  18. Astell, Emilie; Shaun Sutner (8 December 1999). "From president to residents, 25,000 expected at tribute". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on 30 July 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  19. "Foundation History". The Leary Firefighters Foundation. Retrieved 6 January 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Worcester Fire Department.