Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department

Last updated
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department
JFRD Logo.jpg
Operational area
CountryUnited States
State Florida
City Jacksonville
Agency overview [1]
EstablishedApril 20, 1886 (1886-04-20)
Annual calls151,237 (2018)
Employees1470 (2019)
Annual budget$234 million (2019)
Fire chief Keith Powers
EMS level ALS
IAFF 122
Facilities and equipment [2] [3]
Stations 70
Engines 65
Trucks 15
Squads 5
Ambulances 63
HAZMAT 2
USAR 12
Airport crash 8
Website
Official website
IAFF website

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services for Jacksonville, Florida, as well as all unincorporated areas of Duval County.

Contents

According to a list of the thirty largest fire departments in the United States, based on staff size, JFRD is number eighteen. [4]

Duval County has the fifth largest fire department in the state based on the number of fire stations. [5] JFRD is among the largest departments in the state and the nation. The department is made up of six divisions, sixty-three fire and rescue station locations, a professional career force of roughly thirteen-hundred individuals. [6] [7] [8]

History

An antique hand pumper on display at the Jacksonville Fire Museum Hand Pumper.jpg
An antique hand pumper on display at the Jacksonville Fire Museum
The current Fire and Rescue headquarters is housed in the former Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Jacksonville Branch Frbjax.jpg
The current Fire and Rescue headquarters is housed in the former Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Jacksonville Branch

In Jacksonville's early days, citizens responded to fires by forming formed bucket brigades. In 1852, Jacksonville upgraded its firefighting apparatus with the acquisition of a hand pumper. The wheeled pumper had large handles on each side, which were pumped up and down in a seesaw manner to create hydraulic pressure. On April 5, 1854, the hand pumper was put to the test when a spark from the paddle steamer Florida ignited a fire at the docks along Bay Street between Ocean and Newnan. The pumper proved no match for the conflagration, which destroyed the pumper along with 70 buildings, devastating Jacksonville's business district. [9]

The city's first organized firefighting force was formed on January 10, 1868, when a group of volunteers created the Friendship Hook and Ladder Company. Several other volunteer companies were formed by 1870, and together they came to be known as the Jacksonville Volunteer Fire Department. [9]

In 1876, a group of 22 African Americans organized the Duval Hose Company. Their station was located near the intersection of Pine and Ashley Streets. The Duval Hose Company soon became one of the most active volunteer companies in Jacksonville. [9]

On December 16, 1885, an African American named Henry Bradley, was killed when a flaming wall collapsed onto him. Bradley thus became the first Jacksonville firefighter to die in the line of duty. The public outcry about Bradley's death, coupled with rising insurance rates due to Jacksonville's lack of a professional fire department, led to calls for change. Several fire insurance companies serving Jacksonville threatened to withdraw their coverage. Fire insurance rates went up by 25%, which threatened to halt the city's development. [9]

On April 20, 1886, the Jacksonville City Council passed an ordinance creating a professional fire department. Peter Jones, former mayor of Jacksonville, was elected as the city's first fire chief. He was provided 17 men to staff 3 stations to protect the city area of approximately 39 square miles. Jones remained fire chief through the Great Fire of 1901.

Divisions

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department has five divisions, all of which play an integral role in providing around the clock emergency response to the City of Jacksonville. Each one oversees specific tasks, but come together to form JFRD. [10]

Discrimination controversy

In 1971, the JFRD became subject of a consent decree as part of a class action lawsuit, Coffey v. Braddy. The lawsuit was filed due to claims of discrimination against African-American applicants to the department. At the time of the suit, there were only two black firefighters in a department of almost 700. [11] In 1984, the decree was modified to change hiring process at the JFRD. According to the decree, the department was required to hire a one-to-one ratio of black and white firefighters until the percentage of black firefighters equaled the percentage of blacks in the local population. [12] This hiring restriction was fulfilled in 1992. [13]

On August 8, 2006, the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission released a report after an investigation into a complaint of a racially hostile work environment. The complaint was filed in February 2006 after two black firefighters in the department arrived for duty and found nooses placed in their lockers. These charges were found to be inconclusive. [14] The report found that, while operational performance was at a high standard, the off-duty behaviors of members of the department were a concern.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksonville Beach, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Jacksonville Beach is a coastal resort city in Duval County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated on May 22, 1907, as Pablo Beach, and changed to Jacksonville Beach in 1925. The city is part of group of communities collectively referred to as the Jacksonville Beaches. These communities include Mayport, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach. When the city of Jacksonville consolidated with Duval County in 1968, Jacksonville Beach, together with Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Baldwin, voted to retain their own municipal governments. As a result, citizens of Jacksonville Beach are also eligible to vote in mayoral election for the City of Jacksonville. As of the 2020 US census, Jacksonville Beach had a total population of 23,830, up from 21,362 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Fire Department</span> Fire department of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.

The Los Angeles Fire Department provides firefighting services as well as technical rescue services, hazardous materials services and emergency medical services to the citizens of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The LAFD is responsible for approximately four million people who live in the agency's 471 square miles (1,220 km2) jurisdiction. The Los Angeles Fire Department was founded in 1886 and is the third largest municipal fire department in the United States, after the New York City Fire Department and the Chicago Fire Department. The department is sometimes also referred to as the Los Angeles City Fire Department or "LA City Fire" to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which serves unincorporated areas and, via contracts, other incorporated municipalities within Los Angeles County without their own fire departments. The department is currently under the command of Chief Kristin Crowley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire department</span> Organization that provides firefighting services

A fire department or fire brigade, also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression services as well as other rescue services.

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

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 fire suppression and fire prevention, and is a major provider of EMS services in New York City. Beyond fire suppression and EMS, the FDNY is responsible for a broad range of services, including technical rescue, CBRN defense, and structural collapse response and analysis. The FDNY is equipped with a wide variety of general-purpose and specialized Vehicles,Tools and Equipment to serve its varied missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Fire Services</span> Fire service of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Fire Services (TFS), commonly called Toronto Fire, provides fire protection, technical rescue services, hazardous materials response, and first responder emergency medical assistance in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto Fire Services is currently the largest municipal fire department in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Jacksonville</span> Neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida

Downtown Jacksonville is the historic core and central business district (CBD) of Jacksonville, Florida. It comprises the earliest area of the city to be developed and is located in its geographic center along the narrowing point of the St. Johns River.

As firefighting has a rich history throughout the world, traditions in this profession vary widely from country to country.

Fire services in the York Region of Canada are provided for and by each municipality. There are 35 fire stations across the region. Most services consist of full-time members, but some services have volunteer firefighters.

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

The Boston Fire Department provides fire services and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It also responds to such incidents as motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, utility mishaps, floods, explosions, and construction accidents among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksonville Fire Museum</span> United States historic place

The Jacksonville Fire Museum is part of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department's Fire Prevention Division. The museum is home to artifacts detailing the history of the fire service not only in Jacksonville, but the entire state of Florida. Exhibits include photos from and a diorama of the Great Fire of 1901, a fully restored 1902 LaFrance horse-drawn fire engine, and a 1926 American LaFrance fire engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duval County Courthouse</span> Building in Florida, United States

The Duval County Courthouse is the local courthouse for Duval County, Florida. It houses courtrooms and judges from the Duval County and Fourth Judicial Circuit Courts. The new facility is located Downtown Jacksonville, Florida; it was built starting in 2009 and opened in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Jacksonville</span>

The government of Jacksonville is organized under the city charter and provides for a "strong" mayor–council system. The most notable feature of the government in Jacksonville, Florida, is that it is consolidated with Duval County, which the jurisdictions agreed to in the 1968 Jacksonville Consolidation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firefighting in the United States</span> Firefighting

Firefighting in the United States dates back to the earliest European colonies in the Americas. Early firefighters were simply community members who would respond to neighborhood fires with buckets. The first dedicated volunteer fire brigade was established in 1736 in Philadelphia. These volunteer companies were often paid by insurance companies in return for protecting their clients.

<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).

The New Haven Fire Department (NHFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of New Haven, Connecticut. The New Haven Fire Department currently serves a population of over 130,000 people living in 19 square miles of land and is one of the largest fire departments in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northside (Jacksonville)</span> Region of Jacksonville, Florida, US

The Northside is a large region of Jacksonville, Florida, and is generally understood as a counterpart to the city's other large regions, the Urban Core, Arlington, Southside, Westside, and the Beaches. The expansive area consists of historic communities, cultural landmarks, protected ecosystems and vital transportation and logistics facilities, all fundamental to the history and development of Jacksonville.

Savannah Fire & Emergency Services (SFES) provides fire protection to the city of Savannah, Georgia, United States. The professional fire department is active 24/7 and 365 days a year, and has about 325 paid employees. They received an ISO Class 1 rating in November 2014, and CFAI accreditation in 2016.

The Hellenic Fire Service is the national fire and rescue service of Greece. It is part of the Ministry for Citizen Protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps Station</span> United States historic place

American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps Station is a national historic site located at 2 Ocean Front North, Jacksonville Beach, in Duval County. As of 2014, the building is a part of to the National Register of Historic Places. The historic lifeguard station was donated to the city of Jacksonville Beach, the American Red Cross logos were removed, and the city continues to use it for lifeguards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Fire & Rescue</span> City run emergency service department in Portland, Oregon

Portland Fire and Rescue, also known as the Portland Fire Bureau, and sometimes informally the Portland Fire Department, is the principle fire suppression, prevention, and rescue agency of the City of Portland, Oregon, United States. The department is the largest fire protection and emergency medical services provider in the state of Oregon, responsible for an area of 151 square miles (390 km2), with a population of over 632,309. Oversight of Portland's bureaus shifts among the five City Commissioners. As of 2023, Mayor Ted Wheeler has assigned the Fire Bureau to Commissioner Rene Gonzalez.

References

  1. "Fast Facts". City of Jacksonville. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  2. "Operations Division". City of Jacksonville. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  3. "On Scene Newsletter". City of Jacksonville. August 2014. p. 16. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  4. "Largest Fire Departments in the US". Fire Department. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  5. "Florida Fire Departments". Fire Departments. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  6. "JFRD: Our Divisions". COJ.net. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  7. "JFRD Fast Facts". City of Jacksonville.
  8. Hinson, Don. "Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department". Fire Departments. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "History of JFRD". Jacksonville Fire Museum. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  10. "Our Divisions". COJ.net. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  11. "Coffey et al v. Braddy et al - Document 62" . Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  12. Doolittle, Kirsten (February 14, 2013). "Complaint - NAACP v. City of Jacksonville" (PDF). Law Office of Kirsten Doolittle, P.A. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  13. "City of Jacksonville, Florida Fire Department Accused of Racially Discriminatory Employment Practices in New Civil Rights Lawsuit". Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. February 14, 2013. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  14. Jacksonville Human Rights Commission (August 8, 2006). "Report to the Mayor on the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department" (pdf). Retrieved June 19, 2014.

30°20′13″N81°39′41″W / 30.33694°N 81.66139°W / 30.33694; -81.66139