Capital City Fire/Rescue

Capital City Fire/Rescue (CCFR)
"Readiness, dedication, service"
Operational area
Country  United States
State  Alaska
City Juneau
Agency overview
Fire chief Richard Etheridge
Website
www.juneau.org/ccfr/

Capital City Fire/Rescue (CCFR) provides fire suppression and emergency medical services to the city of Juneau, Alaska, United States.

With service to Juneau, CCFR provides emergency services to the second most populous city in Alaska after Anchorage,[1] and the fourth largest metropolitan area behind Anchorage, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Areas served by CCFR include Douglas Island, Lemon Creek, the Mendenhall Valley, Juneau International Airport, Thane, University of Alaska Southeast and local areas of the Tongass National Forest.[2]

History

Medic 1, an ambulance and paramedic unit operated by Capital City Fire/Rescue, in downtown Juneau on 18 April 2015
CCFR fights a fire in the abandoned Gastineau Apartments (left) on March 21, 2015

Juneau's fire department was founded in 1899, as the Juneau Volunteer Fire Department. The first alarm system consisted of a bell installed on the boardwalk, adjacent to the downtown ship docks. Upgrades to the alarm system began in 1915, and the methods of notifying fire fighters who are off duty that they are needed became more high tech over the years. As of 2015, all CCFR fire fighters carry a pager.[3]

In 2006, the City and Borough of Juneau purchased a mobile dispatch center, with a grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The mobile command center is equipped to provide multiple agencies access to dispatch, while providing office space for emergency personnel who are in command at the site of a major incident.[4]

Notable incidents

On 15 August 2004, Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to a fire in the Skinner Building, on Front Street in downtown Juneau. The 108-year-old structure contained 18 businesses, and fire fighters eventually evacuated over 1,000 people from the area. As the fire intensified, it spread to another building next door. The Skinner Building was destroyed, and total damages were in excess of one million dollars.[5]

On 5 November 2012, the 4-story Gastineau Apartments on Franklin Street in downtown Juneau caught fire. Every member of Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to the blaze, which continued to burn throughout the night. The building was evacuated by CCFR and members of the Juneau Police Department. The building was a total loss.[6] During the fire fighting effort, power was shut off to downtown Juneau, and members of the Alaska Army National Guard were deployed to keep people out of the evacuated area.[7] Extra fire fighters were brought in from Sitka on a Coast Guard helicopter, and a member of the Anchorage Fire Department, who was visiting Juneau at the time, was also pressed into service.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Juneau City and Borough QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". census.gov. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Capital City Fire/Rescue "READINESS, DEDICATION, SERVICE"". City and Borough of Juneau. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Brevik, Gaylen. "History of CCFR". Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "City receives mobile dispatch center". Juneau Empire. 20 November 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "On The Job: Alaska - Multiple Challenges for Juneau Crews at Fire Involving Century-Old Structure". Firehouse.com. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Coast Guardsman saves lives on and off duty in Alaska". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Fire consumes downtown Gastineau Apartments". Juneau Empire. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Cause of fire still under investigation". Juneau Empire. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
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