St. Louis Fire Department

St. Louis Fire Department
"Justifiably Proud"
Operational area
Country  United States
State  Missouri
City St. Louis
Agency overview[1][2]
Established September 14, 1857 (1857-09-14)
Annual calls 63,388 fire 78,000 ems (2014)
Employees

776 (2015)

  • 785 - Uniformed
  • 45 - Civilian
Annual budget $57,468,076 (2015)
Staffing Career
Fire chief Dennis Jenkerson
IAFF 73
Facilities and equipment[3]
Battalions 8
Stations 30
Engines 9
Trucks 22
Tillers 0
Squads 2
Ambulances 12
HAZMAT 3
Fireboats 4
Rescue boats 2
Website
Official website
IAFF website

The St. Louis Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of St. Louis, Missouri. The department is also the second oldest paid fire department in the United States.[4][5] The SLFD is responsible for 61.91 square miles (160.3 km2) and has a population of approximately 321,000 with a daytime population approaching 1 million.[1] The department is a division of the St. Louis Department of Public Safety.

Departmental History

The first organized fire department in St. Louis was created in 1822 as a volunteer fire department. An ordinance was passed to purchase the equipment, which primarily consisted of leather buckets. When the alarm sounded, members of the department would fetch their bucket and rush to scene.[6] On September 14, 1857 the department transitioned to an all paid department.[7]

Fireboats

Jack Buck patrols the Mississippi during Fair Saint Louis

As of 2013 there are four small fireboats operated in St. Louis.[8] The largest two are named.[9][10] The 27 feet (8.2 m) Jack Buck was commissioned in 2003 and the 44 feet (13 m) Stan Musial in 2013.

Stations and apparatus

As of May 2015, below is a complete listing of all Fire Station and Apparatus Locations in the city of St. Louis according to Battalion District.[11][12]

Neighborhood Engine Truck Medic Special Chief Battalion
1 Benton ParkEngine 1 Rescue Squad 1, Collapse Rescue unit 2
2 Downtown Engine 2 Tower 2 Medic 2 Transport Bus 888 Battalion 802 2
4 Dutchtown Quint 4 Battalion 8044
5 St. Louis Place Hook & Ladder 1Medic 5 Battalion 8011
6 Cheltenham Quint 6 Marine Unit 1 3
7 Gate District Quint 7 Deputy Chief 810 2
8 Hyde Park Engine 8 1
9 Near North Riverfront Quint 9 Medic 9 1
10 The Ville Quint 10 Medic 10 1
11 Kosciusko Quint 11 Foam Truck 2, Marine Unit 2
Marine Unit 3, Marine Unit 4		 2
12 Mark Twain Quint 12 Medic 12 6
13 Hamilton Heights Quint 13 Medic 13 5
14 Tower Grove East Quint 14 Medic 14 4
17 Grand Center Quint 17 1
19 Boulevard Heights Quint 19 4
20 North Riverfront Quint 20 Foam Truck 1 Battalion 806 6
22 Hi-Pointe Quint 22 3
23 CarondeletEngine 23 Medic 23Foam Truck 3 4
24 Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial Engine 24 6
26 Penrose Engine 26 6
27 Walnut Park East Quint 27 6
28 Fountain ParkEngine 28 Quint 28 HatMat 1, HazMat 2Battalion 805 5
29 Midtown Quint 29 Rescue Squad 2, Foam Truck 4 5
30 Skinker DeBaliviere Quint 30 5
31 St. Louis HillsEngine 31 Medic 31 3
32 Tower Grove EastEngine 32 Medic 32 4
33 Baden Quint 33 Medic 33 6
34 Patch Quint 34 4
35 Southwest Garden Quint 35 Medic 35 Battalion 8033
36 Princeton Heights Quint 36 3

Notable Incidents

Great Fire of 1849

Main article: St. Louis Fire (1849)

On May 17 at 9:00 p.m. an enormous fire broke out in the heart of St. Louis.[13] A steamboat named "The White Cloud" sitting on Cherry Street was on fire. The Fire Department, which at that time consisted of 9 hand engines and hose reels, responded to the scene. The moorings holding the boat broke and the steamer floated down stream setting 22 other steamers on fire as it went.[13]

The flames leaped from building to building sweeping everything on the levee for four blocks.[13] The Firemen, after fighting for over eight hours, were completely exhausted. The entire business portion of the city appeared lost. In a last ditch effort to save the city, six buildings were spread with explosive powder and blown up. When the fire was finally contained after 11 hours, 430 buildings were destroyed, 23 steamboats along with over a dozen other boats were lost and 3 people had died including a Fire Captain.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 "About". St. Louis Fire Department. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "2015 Budget" (PDF). St. Louis. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Fire Suppression". St. Louis Fire Department. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "St. Louis Fire Department". St. Louis Fire Department. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  5. ↑ https://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/public-safety/fire/
  6. ↑ "Volunteer Department". St. Louis Fire Department. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "History". St. Louis Fire Department. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  8. ↑ Brett Blume (2012-05-24). "New Rescue Boats To Patrol St. Louis Riverfront". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  9. ↑ "St. Louis Fire Department names newest marine unit “The Stan Musial”". Fox News. 2013-09-29. Archived from the original on 2013-09-30. The St. Louis Fire Department bought the boat, because of the growth of the St. Louis inland ports, which is now the third largest port in the United States.
  10. ↑ Bob Hamilton (2013-09-29). "St. Louis Fire Department Getting New Boat". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2013-09-30. Retrieved 2013-09-30. It can pump up to 7,000 gallons of water or fire-suppressing foam per minute and can fight fires even while it’s moving.
  11. ↑ "Station Locations". St. Louis Fire Department. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  12. ↑ https://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/public-safety/fire/firehouse-locations.cfm
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Great Fire". St. Louis Fire Department. Retrieved 26 May 2015.

Coordinates: 38°37′38″N 90°11′52″W / 38.62722°N 90.19778°W / 38.62722; -90.19778

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