Seattle Fire Department

Seattle Fire Department
Operational area
Country United States
State Washington
CitySeattle
Agency overview[1][2]
Established1889
Annual calls191,112 (2018)
Employees
  • 1,065 total employees
  • • 981 uniformed personnel
  • • 84 civilian employees
StaffingCareer
IAFF27, 2898
Facilities and equipment[2][4]
Battalions6[3]
Stations34[3]
Engines32
Tillers13
Rescues1
Ambulances
  • 8 ALS (Advanced Life Support)
  • 6 BLS (Basic Life Support)
HAZMAT1
USAR1
Wildland1
Fireboats4
Rescue boats1
Website
Official website
IAFF website

The Seattle Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. The department is responsible for an area of 142.5 square miles (369 km2), including 193 miles (311 km) of waterfront, with a population of 713,700. There is a total of 1,065 employees with 981 uniformed personnel and 84 civilian employees.[2]

History[edit]

Seattle Volunteer Fire Company Engine Number 1 in 1883 at the engine house on Columbia Street in a Theodore Peiser photograph

The Seattle Fire Department got its start as a volunteer fire department that was taken over by the City of Seattle on April 11, 1884.[5] On June 6, 1889, the Great Seattle Fire broke out and destroyed over 64 acres (26 ha) of the city. Insurance investigators charged the city with not having adequately trained firefighters to provide protection for the residents.[5] As a result, the Seattle Fire Department was officially established on October 17, 1889, as a paid professional department.

The Seattle Fire Department is contracted with American Medical Response for basic life support transport.[6]

Fire stations and apparatus[edit]

Seattle firefighters put out a cargo container fire in the Port of Seattle.
Seattle Fire Department Engine 25
Seattle Fire Department Ladder 6
Seattle Fire Department Medic 80
Seattle Fire Department Battalion 6

As of April 2021 the department operates out of 34 fire stations spread across the city.[7]

Fire Station Number Location Address Engine Company Ladder Company Aid or Medic Units Special Units Chief or Supervisor Units
2 Belltown 2320 4th Ave. Engine 2 Ladder 4 Aid 2

Aid 4 (Staffed Part Time)

Mobile Integrated Health Unit 2 (H2)
3 Fishermen's Terminal 1735 W Thurman St. Fireboat 1

Fireboat Chief Seattle (FB3)

5 Waterfront 925 Alaskan Way Engine 5 Engine 4 transport unit

Fireboat Leschi (FB4)

Fireboat 2

Rescue Boat 5

6 Central District 405 M L King Jr. Way. S Engine 6 Ladder 3
8 Queen Anne 110 Lee St. Engine 8 Ladder 6
9 Fremont 3829 Linden Ave. N Engine 9
10 International District 400 S Washington St. Engine 10 Ladder 1 Aid 5

Aid 10

Hazardous Materials Unit 1 (HAZ1)

Air Unit 10 (AIR10)

Staff & Incident Command System (ICS) Support Unit 10 (STAF10)
11 Highland Park 1514 SW Holden St. Engine 11 Medic/Aid 84 (Reserve Medic/Aid Unit)
13 Beacon Hill 3601 Beacon Ave. S Engine 13 Battalion Chief 5
14 SoDo 3224 4th Ave. S Rescue 1 Aid 14 Squad 14
16 Greenlake 6846 Oswego Pl. NE Engine 16
17 University District 1050 NE 50th St. Engine 17 Ladder 9 Medic 17 Battalion Chief 6
18 Ballard 1521 NW Market St. Engine 18 Ladder 8 Medic 18 Hose & Foam Unit 18 (HOSE18) Battalion Chief 4
20 Interbay 2800 15th Ave. W Engine 20
21 Greenwood 7304 Greenwood Ave. N Engine 21 Mass Casualty Incident Unit 1 (MCI1)
22 Montlake 901 E Roanoke St. Engine 22 Aid 86 (Reserve Medic/Aid Unit) Comm 1 (COM1)
24 Bitter Lake 401 N 130th St. Engine 24 Air Unit 240 (AIR240)
25 Capitol Hill 1300 E Pine St. Engine 25 Ladder 10 Aid 25 Mobile Ventilation Unit 1 (MVU1)

Energy Response Unit 1 (ENERGY1)

Power/CO2 Unit 25 (P25)

Battalion Chief 2
26 South Park 800 S Cloverdale St. Engine 26 Medic 26 Mobile Air Compressor 260 (AIR260)
27 Georgetown 1000 S Myrtle St. Engine 27 Decontamination Unit 1 (DECON1)

Rehabilitation Unit 1 (REHAB1)

28 Rainier Valley 5968 Rainier Ave. S Engine 28 Ladder 12 Medic 28

Metropolitan Medical Strike Team

29 Admiral District 2139 Ferry Ave. SW Engine 29
30 Mount Baker 2931 S Mount Baker Blvd. Engine 30 Mass Casualty Incident Unit 2 (MCI2)
31 Northgate 10503 Interlake Avenue North

(Temporary Station- Interim location until new station is complete)

Engine 31 Ladder 5 Medic 31 Aid 31 (Staffed Part Time)
32 West Seattle 3715 SW Alaska St. Engine 32 Ladder 11 Medic 32 Battalion Chief 7
33 Rainier Beach 9645 Renton Ave. S Engine 33
34 Madison Park 633 32nd Ave. E Engine 34 Hose & Foam Unit 34 (HOSE34)
35 Crown Hill 8729 15th Ave. NW Engine 35
36 Harbor Island 3600 23rd Ave. SW Engine 36 Marine Unit 1 (MRN1)

Marine Unit 80 (Reserve Marine Unit)

37 High Point 7700 35th Ave. SW Engine 37 Ladder 13
38 Laurelhurst 4004 NE 55th St. Engine 38

Engine 85 (Reserve Engine)

Squad & Wildland Unit 40 (S40)
39 Lake City 2806 NE 127th St. Engine 39 Medical Ambulance Bus 1 (MAB1)
40 Wedgwood 9401 35th Ave. NE Engine 40

Engine 84 (Reserve Engine)

41 Magnolia 2416 34th Ave. W Engine 41
HMC Harborview Medical Center 325 9th Ave. Medic 1

Medic 10

Medic 80 (Reserve Medic Unit)

Medic 5

(Reserve Medic Unit)

Medic 44 & Medic 45 (EMS Supervisors)

Battalion Chief 3 (EMS Battalion Chief)

HQ Headquarters 301 2nd Ave. S Public Information Officer (PIO)

Fire Marshal 5 (MAR5)


Deputy Chief 1 (DEP1)

Safety Chief 2 (SAFT2)

Mobile Integrated Health Unit 1 (H1)

Mobile Integrated Health Unit 99 (H99)

Apparatus types and callsigns[edit]

  • Engine (E)
  • Ladder (L)
  • Aid Unit "Aid Car" - Basic Life Support (A)
  • Air / Mobile Air Compressor Unit (AIR)
  • Battalion Chief (B)
  • Chaplain Unit (CHAP)
  • Command, Control & Communication Unit (COM)
  • Decontamination Unit (DECON)
  • Deputy Chief of Operations (DEP)
  • EMS/Paramedic Supervisor (M44 / M45)
  • Fire Boat (FB)
  • Rescue Boat (RB)
  • Fire Chief (234)
  • Assistant Chief of Operations (89)
  • Fire Investigation Unit (FIU) / Fire Marshal (MAR)
  • Hazardous Materials Unit (HAZ)
  • Hose / Foam Wagon (HOSE)
  • Marine Unit (MRN)
  • Medic - Advanced Life Support (M)
  • Medical Ambulance Bus (MAB)
  • Metropolitan Medical Strike Team (MMST)
  • Mobile Ventilation Unit (MVU)
  • Mass Casualty Incident Unit (MCI)
  • Power/CO2 Unit (P)
  • Public Information Officer (PIO)
  • Reserve Aid - BLS Apparatus (All "80 Series" Designations) (A8_)
  • Reserve Battalion Chiefs (B2_)
  • Reserve Engine Apparatus (All "80 Series" Designations) (E8_)
  • Reserve Ladder Apparatus (All "80 Series" Designations) (L8_)
  • Reserve Medic - ALS Apparatus (All "80 Series" Designations) (M8_)
  • Reserve Heavy Rescue Apparatus (All "80 Series" Designations) (R8_)
  • Seattle Police Harbor Patrol Boat (Responds with Seattle Fire Department for most marine incidents) (PTRL)
  • Squad & Wildland Unit (S)
  • Staff & Incident Command System (ICS) Support Unit (STAF)
  • Safety Chief (SAFT)
  • Heavy Rescue Unit (R)
  • Rehabilitation (REHAB)

Notable incidents[edit]

Great Seattle Fire[edit]

Main article: Great Seattle Fire

On June 6, 1889, the Great Seattle Fire broke out in a cabinet shop located at the corner of 1st Avenue and Madison Street.[5] The flames spread rapidly and the small volunteer department was unable to slow the fire with the town's small water systems. By the time the fire was extinguished, 64 acres (26 ha) of homes and businesses had been destroyed.[5]

Pang warehouse fire[edit]

On January 5, 1995, the Mary Pang's Food Products warehouse burned in the International District. Four firefighters died when the floor of the warehouse collapsed. It was later determined that the fire was set by Martin Pang, the son of the owner. Seattle's Fallen Firefighters Memorial was built to remember the four who perished.[8]

In popular culture[edit]

The House on the Hill (1985)
  • In the 1965 film, The Slender Thread, starring Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft, the Seattle Fire Department dispatch center, as well as the interior of Fire Station # 2 are shown and Aid Unit 2 is seen responding to a report of a suicide attempt.
  • In 1979, in the Emergency! TV series' movie-of-the-week "Most Deadly Passage", the main characters visit Seattle for a ride-along with Medic One.
  • In 1985, the department released a cartoon film on fire safety, named The House on the Hill.
  • The 2018 ABC television series Station 19, a spin-off of the Seattle-set medical drama Grey's Anatomy, is set in the department and is the first ever TV series to feature it.
  • In G.I. Joe, the Lifeline character is a paramedic with the SFD.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Emergency Response Totals". Seattle Fire Department. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Department Profile". Seattle Fire Department. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Fire Stations - Fire". seattle.gov. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  4. ^ "Apparatus Showcase". Seattle Fire Department. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Stein, Alan (September 2, 2002). "Seattle Fire Department is created on October 17, 1889". HistoryLink. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  6. ^ Hanson, Kristin (February 9, 2022). "Seattle Fire Department partners with American Medical Response to implement innovative new emergency healthcare solution". Fire Line. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "Stations". Seattle Fire Department. Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  8. ^ Castro, Hector (January 4, 2005). "10 years ago, four perished in Pang warehouse blaze". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved November 9, 2022.

External links[edit]

47°36′00″N 122°19′55″W / 47.60000°N 122.33194°W / 47.60000; -122.33194

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