- District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department
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District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department Established July 1, 1884[1] Staffing 2,000+[2] Annual Calls 150,000[3] Stations 34 Engines 33 Trucks 16 Rescues 3 Fireboats 1 EMS Units 39 EMS Level BLS/ALS The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, (also known as DC FEMS, FEMS, DCFD, DC Fire, or Fire & EMS), established July 1, 1884,[1] is the municipal fire department and emergency medical service agency for Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. An organ of the devolved district government, Fire & EMS is responsible for providing fire suppression, ambulance service and hazardous materials containment for the federal district.[3]
Contents
History
A modern day DC fire engine
FEMS Engine Company #23 (Foggy Bottom Firehouse)On January 13, 1803, prior to the formation of a fire fighting company in the city, Washington's first law regarding fire control was passed; this law instructed that for every building in the city, the building's owner must provide leather buckets for use in fire suppression.[4] Owners were required to provide as many buckets as there were stories to the building. The fine for failure to provide the required number of buckets was one dollar per missing bucket.[4]
To resolve problems stemming from the rivalry between competing private volunteer companies, an act to organize a paid fire department was approved in 1864[4] and implemented on September 23, 1871, with a combination of paid and volunteer staff.[1] This very first incarnation of the fire department had seven paid firefighters and thirteen call men to answer alarms, manning three engines and two ladders. By 1900, the DCFD had grown to 14 engine, 4 ladder and 2 chemical companies.[1]
Rescuers and firefighters from the DCFD were major participants in the 1968 riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Widespread civil unrest, looting and arson resulted in the mobilization of the entire force, along with 70 outside companies, to battle over 500 fires and perform 120 rescues during the four days of disorder.[5]
Budget problems
In January 2010, The Washington Examiner reported that, in a major management failure, the agency failed to budget for seniority pay in its fiscal 2010 budget, causing a $2 million shortfall.[2] After a hiring freeze left 130 positions unfilled, the department was projected to spend $15.4 million in fiscal 2010 (2.5 times the budgeted amount).[2] More than 75 percent of the agency's budget goes to salaries and fringe benefits.[2]
Nerve Center episode
The DC Fire & EMS Department was profiled in episode 5 of Discovery Channel's Nerve Center[6], which first aired in June 2011. The episode followed the Department's activities on October 30-31, 2010, including providing emergency medical services at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and the 35th Marine Corps Marathon.
See also
- Government of the District of Columbia
- Fireboat John H. Glenn Jr.
- Benjamin C. Grenup Monument Monument to the first DC Firefighter killed in action.
Notes
- ^ a b c d "FEMS History". About FEMS. DC FEMS. pp. 2. http://fems.dc.gov/fems/cwp/view,a,3,q,525941,femsNav,31536,.asp. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ a b c d Neibauer, Michael. "D.C. Fire Running Millions Over Budget." The Washington Examiner. January 21, 2010.
- ^ a b "About FEMS". DC FEMS. http://fems.dc.gov/fems/cwp/view,a,3,q,525941,femsNav,31536,.asp. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ a b c "FEMS History". About FEMS. DC FEMS. pp. 1. http://fems.dc.gov/fems/cwp/view,a,3,q,525920,femsNav_GID,1507.asp. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ "FEMS History". About FEMS. DC FEMS. pp. 3. http://fems.dc.gov/fems/cwp/view,a,3,q,525934,femsNav_GID,1507.asp. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ "Nerve Center". http://www.discoverychannel.ca/episodeList.aspx?sid=31780.
External links
Categories:- Fire departments in the District of Columbia
- Government of the District of Columbia
- Organizations established in 1884
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