Fire Stations

A fire station, also known as a firehouse or fire hall, is a facility for storing and maintaining fire engines and other equipment. A fire station is usually located in a busy area close to the places where emergency calls are received, so that firefighters can quickly arrive at an emergency scene. The building may be equipped with living quarters for full-time firefighters. Firefighters on a call are typically summoned to the fire station by siren, radio or pager. The living areas of the fire station will have sleeping quarters for the firefighters, and may also have offices and a library of reference material. The building may also contain a trophy wall to display memorabilia of past firefighters and their accomplishments.

The buildings at most fire stations are equipped with a garage to house the fire engines and other equipment. The garage will usually have doors to allow for easy loading of the vehicles. The approach to the garage may be posted with warning signs and traffic signals to stop or warn traffic when the fire trucks are leaving or returning to the fire station.

Depending on the local government regulations, the fire department may also be responsible for providing EMS services, such as ambulances. Some fire departments provide this service as a separate division of their operations, while others are cross-trained to also perform these tasks and provide them as part of their regular duties.

Most cities have fire departments that are run by the local government. Some are organized as “fire protection districts” that cover a large geographical area. In the United States, there are many fire departments at the municipal level, while in some countries, the fire services are grouped into national organizations that operate at the regional or state level.

Some fire departments are primarily volunteer, while others are entirely professional, and still other services are combination of both. The administration of a fire department is concerned with supervision, budgets, policy and human resources. The service side is concerned with protection, safety and education of the public, while the operations are responsible for rescues and other emergency responses.

The smallest fire departments have only one fire station that is the headquarters for the entire department, while larger ones have multiple locations that are strategically placed to respond to emergencies as quickly as possible. These facilities are usually managed by a Fire Chief who is in charge of the operation and has the authority to assign personnel and equipment to an incident as needed. The Fire Chief will often be on-call for 24-hour shifts, and if called to an emergency will direct the activities of all on-duty personnel at the scene.