Houston Fire Department

Last updated
Houston Fire Department
HFDlogo.jpg
Operational area
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
State Flag of Texas.svg  Texas
City Flag of Houston, Texas.svg Houston
Address500 Jefferson St, 77002
Agency overview [1]
Established1838 (1838)
Annual calls341,166 (2017)
Employees3,700+ (2018)
Annual budget$495,171,980 (2018)
StaffingCareer
Fire chief Thomas Muñoz
EMS level Advanced Life Support (ALS)
IAFF IAFF Local 341
MottoCourage, Commitment, & Compassion
Facilities and equipment [1] [2]
Stations 93 Fire Stations
Engines 88 Engine Companies
Trucks 38 Truck Companies
Rescues 3 Rescue Units
Ambulances
HAZMAT 3 Hazardous Materials Units
Airport crash 12 Crash Trucks
Wildland 11 Wildland Units
Helicopters 1 Helicopter
Fireboats 1 Fireboat
Rescue boats 13 Rescue Boats
Light and air 3 Light and Air Units
Website
Official website
IAFF website

City of Houston Fire Department (HFD) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the fourth largest city in the United States. HFD is responsible for preserving life and property for a population of more than 2 million in an area totaling 654 square miles (1,690 km2). [3] The department is the largest fire department (by number of personnel) in the state of Texas. [4]

Contents

The administrative offices of HFD are located on the 17th floor of 500 Jefferson Street (a part of the Cullen Center) in Downtown Houston. [5] They were previously located at the City of Houston Fire Department Logistical Center & Maintenance Depot. [6]

The Houston Fire Department got its start in 1838 with one station known as Protection Company No. 1. [1] By 1859, the volunteer department had grown to three stations. After 57 years of service, Houston converted the department over to all paid members. [1]

Notable Incidents

Southwest Inn Fire

On May 31, 2013, the Southwest Inn fire broke out in an Indian restaurant in Southwest Houston before spreading to an adjoining hotel. The fire claimed the biggest casualty loss for the Houston Fire Department since its inception. Four firefighters were killed and 13 others were injured while fighting the five-alarm fire at the Southwest Inn. [7] "Iron" Bill Dowling, who lost his legs and damaged his brain in the fire, died in Colorado on March 7, 2017, after a short hospitalization for pneumonia and cellulitis, attributed to his injuries. [8]

2016 Houston Fire

After the spreading of a backyard fire in Spring Branch, Houston, Texas, a packaging warehouse burned down during a four-alarm fire which included exploding canisters of hazardous material. Nearly 200 firefighters were dispatched to the site over several hours. As of May 2016, the initial cause of the fire remains unknown. [9] [10]

1979 Woodway Square Apartment Fire

Late in the afternoon of July 31, 1979, a call came in for an apartment fire at the Woodway Square Apartments in Houston. First units arriving immediately started calling for help as the high winds were fanning flames across the wood shingle roofs. Flames were jumping building to building and embers were entering the neighborhoods igniting roofs.

In all 7 alarms were called for which included equipment backed into Houston Fire stations from Cy-Fair, Little York and Northwest Volunteer Fire Departments.

Hundreds lost everything they owned. At one point it was discussed using explosives to demolish one building to make a fire break. As firefighters worked on controlling the apartment fire, booster trucks were tasked with driving through the neighborhoods extinguishing spot fires on roofs of homes.

On the day of the fire, the Houston Fire Department requested the city to ban wood shingles. They refused but the day after the fire they decided to ban them. In that day and age, most new homes had wood shingles and they were required by homeowners associations

Stations and Apparatus

Below is a listing of all Houston Fire Department fire stations and their assigned apparatus. [2]

Fire Station NumberAddressEngine CompanyLadder Company or Tower CompanyMedic Units or Squad UnitsAmbulance UnitsSpecial UnitDistrict Chief UnitsDistrict
25880 WoodwayEngine 2Ambulance 2Cascade 228
33735 W. AlabamaEngine 3Ambulance 50328
46530 W. Little YorkEngine 4Ladder 4Ambulance 4District Chief 44
52020 HollisterEngine 5Ambulance 5High-Water Vehicle 5District Chief 55
63402 WashingtonEngine 6Tower 6Medic 6District Chief 66
71402 ElginEngine 7Ladder 7Ambulance 78
81919 LouisianaEngine 1
Engine 8
Squad 8Ambulance 8 Ambulance 508Mobile Command Unit, AMBUS 8, Rehab Unit 8District Chief 88
9702 HoganEngine 9Medic 9Ambulance 919
106600 CorporateEngine 10Medic 10Ambulance 10Rescue 10, 2 Rescue Boats83
11460 T.C. JesterEngine 11Ambulance 11Heavy Rescue 11, Evacuation Boat, 2 Rescue Boats, EMS District Chief Unit6
121502 AlberEngine 12Ambulance 1219
132215 W. 43rdEngine 13Ambulance 1331
155306 N. MainEngine 15Ambulance 15Shift Commander 15, Cascade 15, Sr. EMS Supervisor 156
161700 RichmondEngine 16Ladder 16Ambulance 16EMS Supervisor 166
172805 NavigationEngine 17Medic 17Ambulance 17Rehab 17, Rescue Boat, EMS Supervisor 178
18619 TelephoneEngine 18Tower 18Medic 18Ambulance 1820
191801 GreggEngine 19Ladder 19Medic 19Ambulance 19District Chief 1919
206902 NavigationEngine 20Ladder 20Ambulance 20District Chief 2020
2110515 MainEngine 21Tower 21Ambulance 21High-Water Vehicle 21District Chief 2121
227825 HarrisburgHMRT Unit 1, HMRT Unit 2 Foam 2222
238005 LawndaleEngine 23Ambulance 23Cascade 2320
242625 Reed RdHaz-Mat Engine 24Medic 24Ambulance 524Safety Officer 2446
253902 ScottEngine 25Ambulance 258
267111 DixieEngine 26Ladder 26Ambulance 26District Chief 2626
276515 LyonsEngine 27Medic 27Ambulance 2719
283000 Chimney RockEngine 28Ladder 28Squad 28Ambulance 28District Chief 2828
294831 GalvestonEngine 29Ladder 29Medic 2926
306702 IrvingtonEngine 30Ambulance 30Safety Officer 30, EMS Supervisor 3031
31222 W. CrosstimbersEngine 31Ladder 31Medic 31Ambulance 31District Chief 3131
328614 TidwellEngine 32Ambulance 32Booster 32, Evacuation Boat34
337117 FanninEngine 33Ladder 33Squad 33Ambulance 33 Ambulance 533Sr. EMS Supervisor 3321
343100 Laura KoppeEngine 34Ladder 34Medic 34Ambulance 34District Chief 3434
355535 Van FleetEngine 35Ambulance 35Booster 35, Evacuation Boat46
367720 Airport BlvdEngine 36Medic 36Ambulance 36EMS Supervisor Unit 3626
377026 Stella LinkEngine 37Ambulance 37Shift Commander, High-Water Vehicle 3721
381120 SilberEngine 38Ladder 38Ambulance 385
395810 PickfairEngine 39Ambulance 3934
405830 Old Spanish TrailEngine 40Medic 40Ambulance 4026
41805 PearlEngine 41Ambulance 4145
428675 Clinton DrEngine 42Rescue 42, Evacuation Boat, 2 Rescue Boats20
437330 N. WaysideEngine 43Medic 4334
44675 MaxeyEngine 44Ladder 44Medic 4445
454910 N. McCartyEngine 45Ladder 45High-Water Vehicle 45District Chief 4545
463902 CorderEngine 46Ladder 46Squad 46Ambulance 46District Chief 4646
472615 TidewaterEngine 47Ambulance 4759
4811616 Chimney RockEngine 48Ambulance 4859
491212 GessnerEngine 49Medic 495
504420 BingleEngine 50Medic 50EMS Supervisor 504
516902 BellaireEngine 51Ladder 51Ambulance 5168
5210343 HartsookEngine 52Ambulance 5270
5313349 VicksburgEngine 5345
54 George Bush
Intercontinental Airport
AR-8ARFF UnitsARFF
5511212 CullenEngine 55Ladder 55Medic 55Ambulance 5546
565820 E. Little YorkEngine 56Ladder 56Medic 56Ambulance 5634
5713602 MemorialEngine 57Safety Officer 5778
5810413 FultonEngine 58Medic 58Ambulance 58High-Water Vehicle 5831
5913925 S. Post OakEngine 59Ladder 59Medic 59District Chief 5959
602925 JeanettaEngine 60Medic 60Ambulance 6028
619726 MonroeEngine 61Ladder 6170
621602 SeamistEngine 62Medic 626
635626 Will Clayton PkwyHaz-Mat Engine 63Medic 63Booster 63, Evacuation Boat64
643000 Greens RdEngine 64Tower 64Ambulance 64District Chief 6464
6511531 FM 1960 EastEngine 65Medic 65Booster 65, Fire Boat 65102
665800 TeagueHaz-Mat Engine 66Booster 66, Evacuation Boat, HMRT Unit 34
671616 W. Little YorkEngine 67Ladder 67Medic 67Ambulance 674
688602 BissonnetEngine 68Ladder 68Ambulance 68District Chief 6868
691102 West Belt SouthEngine 69Tower 69Ambulance 69EMS Supervisor 6983
7011410 BeamerEngine 70Medic 70District Chief 7070
7115200 Space CenterEngine 71Ladder 71Medic 71High-Water Vehicle 71District Chief 7171
7217401 Saturn LnEngine 72Medic 7271
739640 WilcrestEngine 73Medic 73Ambulance 73 Ambulance 57368
74460 Aldine BenderEngine 74Medic 74Ambulance 7464
751995 Dairy AshfordEngine 75Ladder 75Medic 7578
767200 CookEngine 76Ladder 76Ambulance 7683
7710155 KempwoodEngine 77Ladder 77Ambulance 77Booster 77, Rescue Boat5
7815100 MemorialEngine 78Ladder 78Medic 78High-Water Vehicle 78District Chief 7878
8016111 Chimney RockEngine 80Medic 80Ambulance 80Booster 80, Evacuation Boat59
81 William P. Hobby Airport ARFF UnitsARFF
8211250 BraesridgeHaz-Mat Engine 82Squad 82Ambulance 82Evacuation Boat 82, EMS Supervisor 8268
833350 BreezewoodEngine 83Medic 83Ambulance 83District Chief 8383
84320 Gears RdEngine 84Ladder 84Ambulance 84High-Water Vehicle 8464
8614300 Briar ForestEngine 86Medic 8678
9016553 Park RowEngine 90Ladder 90Ambulance 9078
92 George Bush
Intercontinental Airport
ARFF UnitsARFF
93911 FM 1959Engine 93Ladder 93Ambulance 93Booster 93, Evacuation Boat70
94235 El DoradoEngine 94Medic 9471
967409 WillowchaseEngine 96Ladder 96Medic 964
99 George Bush
Intercontinental Airport
ARFF UnitsARFF
1011863 Kingwood DrLadder 101Medic 101Booster 101, Evacuation Boat102
1024102 W. Lake Houston PkwyEngine 102Ladder 102Medic 102High-Water Vehicle 102District Chief 102102
1032907 High Valley DrEngine 103Booster 103, Evacuation Boat102
104910 Forest Cove DrEngine 104102
10514014 W. Lake Houston PkwyEngine 105Medic 105102

In 2018 there was a post-Hurricane Harvey plan to replace fire station 104 for $11 million. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Fire Department</span> American municipal fire department

The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fire Suppression Services, Specialized Hazardous Materials Response Services, Emergency Medical Response Services and Specialized Technical Rescue Services in the entire city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honolulu Fire Department</span>

The Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Honolulu. Founded on December 27, 1850, by Kamehameha III and Alexander Cartwright, the Honolulu Fire Department serves and protects the entire island of O'ahu, covering over 600 square miles (1,600 km2) of territory, home to more than 880,000 residents and over 4 million annual visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firefighting</span> Actions to prevent damage from fire

Firefighting is a profession aimed at controlling and extinguishing fire. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter or fireman. Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training. This involves structural firefighting and wildland firefighting. Specialized training includes aircraft firefighting, shipboard firefighting, aerial firefighting, maritime firefighting, and proximity firefighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown, Houston</span> Neighborhood of Houston in Harris County, Texas, USA

Midtown is a central neighborhood of Houston, located west-southwest of Downtown. Separated from Downtown by an elevated section of Interstate 45, Midtown is characterized by a continuation of Downtown's square grid street plan, anchored by Main Street and the METRORail Red Line. Midtown is bordered by Neartown (Montrose) to the west, the Museum District to the south, and Interstate 69 to the east. Midtown's 325 blocks cover 1.24 square miles (3.2 km2) and contained an estimated population of nearly 8,600 in 2015.

Firefighting jargon includes a diverse lexicon of both common and idiosyncratic terms. One problem that exists in trying to create a list such as this is that much of the terminology used by a particular department is specifically defined in their particular standing operating procedures, such that two departments may have completely different terms for the same thing. For example, depending on whom one asks, a safety team may be referred to as a standby, a RIT or RIG or RIC, or a FAST. Furthermore, a department may change a definition within its SOP, such that one year it may be RIT, and the next RIG or RIC.

Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as well as the research and development, production, testing and application of mitigating systems. In structures, be they land-based, offshore or even ships, the owners and operators are responsible to maintain their facilities in accordance with a design-basis that is rooted in laws, including the local building code and fire code, which are enforced by the authority having jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JPMorgan Chase Building (Houston)</span> Skyscraper in Houston, Texas

The JPMorgan Chase Building, formerly the Gulf Building, is a 37-story 130 m (430 ft) Art Deco skyscraper in downtown Houston, Texas. Completed in 1929, it remained the tallest building in Houston until 1963, when the Exxon Building surpassed it in height. The building is the Houston headquarters of JPMorgan Chase Bank, and was formerly the headquarters of Texas Commerce Bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Houston</span>

Southwest Houston is a region in Houston, Texas, United States. The area is considered to be from Texas State Highway 6, south of Westpark Tollway to north of U.S. Route 90.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City Fire Department</span>

The Kansas City Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical service for Kansas City, Missouri, and under contract to Village of the Oaks, Village of Oakwood Park, and Village of Oakwood. It provides fire protection only under contract to City of Lake Waukomis, City of Platte Woods, City of Weatherby Lake, and Village of Ferrelview. In addition, it provides EMS support under contract for the City of Riverside. It operates 35 fire stations, one dedicated EMS operations facility housing dynamically deployed ambulances, organized into seven battalions and cover 318 square miles (820 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Leaf Towers</span> Residential high-rise in Houston Texas

Four Leaf Towers is a high-rise residential complex located in Houston, Texas, United States, on San Felipe Street adjacent to the Uptown Houston district. They were designed by architect Cesar Pelli.

The Gulf Hotel fire claimed 55 lives in the early-morning hours of September 7, 1943 in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States. The fire remains the worst loss of life in a fire in the city's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cullen Center</span> Building complex in Houston, Texas, U.S.

Cullen Center is a skyscraper complex in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States. The complex is now managed by Brookfield Properties. Previously Trizec Properties owned all four office buildings. The complex includes the headquarters of the Houston Fire Department and KBR, and it formerly included the headquarters of Continental Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brays Oaks, Houston</span> Area in Southwest Houston, Texas, United States

Brays Oaks, formerly known as Fondren Southwest, is an area in Southwest Houston, Texas, United States. The Brays Oaks Management District, also known as the Harris County Improvement District #5, governs the Brays Oaks area as well as other surrounding areas, such as Westbury. The City of Houston also defines the Brays Oaks Super Neighborhood, with separate boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Management District</span> District in Houston, Texas

Southwest Management District, formerly Greater Sharpstown Management District, is a district in Houston, Texas, United States. The district is split into 6 neighborhoods: Sharpstown, Chinatown, Mahatma Gandhi District/Little India, Westwood, Harwin, and University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Antonio Fire Department</span> Fire department in San Antonio, TX, US

The San Antonio Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of San Antonio, Texas. The department is the third largest fire department in the state of Texas. With over 1,800 members, the SAFD is responsible for a population of over 1.4 million people spread across 408 square miles (1,060 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houston Fire Museum</span>

The Houston Fire Museum, also known as the Fire Museum of Houston, is located in the Midtown District of Houston, Texas. The museum contains interactive exhibits and displays featuring antique and modern firefighting paraphernalia. The museum also educates its visitors in fire safety and prevention and is considered to be one of the finest centers of its kind in Texas. The museum's building, which was originally home to the Houston Fire Department's Fire Station No. 7, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Inn fire</span> 2013 fire in Houston, Texas

The Southwest Inn fire in Houston, Texas on May 31, 2013 was a fire in an Indian restaurant that spread to an adjoining hotel. The fire claimed the biggest casualty loss for the Houston Fire Department since its inception. Four firefighters were killed and 13 others were injured that day while fighting the five-alarm fire at the Southwest Inn located in Southwest Houston. On March 7, 2017, Captain Bill Dowling, who lost both his legs battling the fire in 2013, died of complications from his line-of-duty injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington County Fire District 2</span>

Washington County Fire District 2 (WCFD2) was a special-purpose government fire fighting and emergency services district in Washington County on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. Established in 1952, it primarily provided fire and emergency medical services in the central portion of the county surrounding Hillsboro, including the city of North Plains. The District had two fire stations when it was absorbed by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson Davis Hospital</span> United States historic place

Jefferson Davis Hospital operated from 1924 to 1989 and was the first centralized municipal hospital to treat indigent patients in Houston, Texas. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building, located in Houston's Historic First Ward, was designated as a protected historic landmark on November 13, 2013, by the Houston City Council and is monitored by the Historic Preservation Office of the City of Houston Department of Planning and Development. The property has been reoccupied by ArtSpace as the Elder Street Artists Lofts since 2005, which provides 24 live/work units for local artists to rent.

On the night of December 28, 2017, a fire tore through an apartment building in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Thirteen people died, and fourteen others were injured. At the time, it was the city's deadliest fire in 25 years, being surpassed a little over four years later by another apartment fire in the Bronx that killed seventeen people.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "About the HFD". Houston Fire Department. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Fire Stations". Houston Fire Department. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  3. "HFD Coverage Area".
  4. "Regulated departments by size". Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  5. "Contact Us." Houston Fire Department, City of Houston. Retrieved on June 13, 2017. "HFD Administration 832.394.6700 600 Jefferson, 7th Floor Houston, Texas 77002"
  6. "Home Page." Houston Fire Department. Retrieved on November 20, 2011. "HFD Administration HFD Administration 500 Jefferson Street, 17th Floor 77002"
  7. Pinkerton, James; Lezon, Dale (1 June 2013). "Massive blaze in SW Houston kills 4 firefighters". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-06-01. "It was the department's worst loss of life ever."
  8. "HFD hero 'Iron Bill' Dowling has died", by Keri Blakinger and Brooke A. Lewis, The Houston Chronicle
  9. "Four-alarm fire burns at business in west Houston". www.msn.com.
  10. "4-Alarm Fire Ravages West Houston Warehouse Complex". ABC News.
  11. Morris, Mike (2018-06-18). "Want Houston to fix your street, park or library? Harvey may delay the job". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 2019-12-28.

29°45′46″N95°22′59″W / 29.76278°N 95.38306°W / 29.76278; -95.38306