# St. Louis Fire Department

The St. Louis Fire Department (STLFD or STL City Fire) provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and rescue services to the city of St. Louis, Missouri. The department is also the second oldest professional and fully paid fire department in the United States. The STLFD is responsible for 66.6 square miles (172 km$^2$) and has a population of approximately 294,890 with a daytime population of over 2 million.
The Fire Department Division is a division of the St. Louis Public Safety Department.
The St. Louis Fire Department is led by the Fire Commissioner, currently Dennis M. Jenkerson. The Fire Commissioner and Chief is appointed by the Director of Public Safety and each bureau is commanded by a Deputy Fire Chief, who oversees the department's bureaus. Administrative Services, Fire Prevention, Operations, Support Services, Emergency Medical Services are the major operational units in the St. Louis Fire Department.

## History

The first organized fire department in St. Louis was created in 1822, had several volunteer fire departments in the area. An ordinance was passed to purchase the equipment, which primarily consisted of leather buckets. When the alarm sounded, members of the department would fetch their bucket and rush to the scene. On September 14, 1857, the department transitioned to an all-paid department. The St. Louis Fire Department is the third oldest fully paid fire department, behind the Cincinnati Fire Department and the Providence Fire Department.

### Specialized units

In addition to fire suppression and emergency medical services, the St. Louis Fire Department also has specialized units that include:
* Aircraft Rescue Firefighting at St. Louis Lambert International Airport
* Hazmat Task Force
* Marine Operations with a Boston Whaler called the "Jack Buck & Stan Musial," which is permanently moored on the Mississippi River, along with five other small rapidly deployable boats.
* Dive and Swift Water Rescue
* High-Angle Rope Rescue
* Trench and Collapse Rescue

## Office of the Fire Commissioner

The Fire Commissioner serves as the senior sworn member of the STLFD. Prior to 1857, the position was known as the Fire Chief' The Commissioner is the overall person in charge of the Fire department.
Commissioner Dennis Jenkerson is the 10th individual to hold the post as Fire Commissioner.
The SLFD'S's organization consists of seven bureaus. These include the following: Each bureau is commanded by a Deputy Chief or Deputy Fire Chief or Manager.
* Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
* Bureau of Prevention
* Bureau of Communications
* Bureau of Support Services
* Bureau of Fire Inspections
* Bureau of Fire Investigations
* Bureau of Fire Suppression

### Administration

| Command Staff | Title and Department |
| Derrick Phillips | Deputy Fire Commissioner - Bureau of Administrative & Homeland Security |
| James Thompson | EMS Chief – Bureau of EMS |
| Charles E. Coyle | Deputy Chief – Bureau of Prevention |
| Michael Richardson | Battalion Chief – Bureau of Communications |
| Ray Daniels | Fire Captain – Bureau of Fire Inspections |
| Adam Owens | Chief Fire Investigator – Bureau of Fire Investigation |
| TBA | Battalion Chief – St. Louis Lambert International Airport (ARFF) |

## Ranks of the STLFD

In the St. Louis Fire Department, helmet colors often denote a fire fighter's rank or position. In general, white helmets denote chief officers, while red helmets may denote company officers. The specific meaning of a helmet's color or style varies from region to region and department to department. The rank of an officer in the St. Louis Fire Department is most commonly denoted by a number of speaking trumpets, a reference to a megaphone-like device used in the early days of the fire service, although typically called "bugle" in today's parlance. Ranks proceed from one (lieutenant) to five (fire chief) bugles.
| Title | Insignia | Badge color | Notes |
| Fire Commissioner (rank of Fire Chief) | | Gold | The Fire Commissioner holds the rank of fire chief and is appointed by the Mayor of St. Louis. Highest rank in the St. Louis Fire Department. |
| Deputy Fire Commissioner (rank of Deputy Fire Chief) | | Gold | The Deputy Fire Commissioner holds the rank of Deputy Fire Chief and is appointed by the fire commissioner. Second in command in the fire department. |
| Assistant Chief | | Gold | The assistant chief is the commander of a bureau within the fire department. |
| Battalion Chief | | Gold | The battalion chief is the commander of a battalion of fire stations and apparatus within his/her district. |
| Captain | | Gold | A captain is in charge of a crew of firefighters in the fire station. |
| Lieutenant | | Gold | A lieutenant is responsible for the administration and supervision of a fire company for fire suppression operations, hazardous material response, rescue operations, etc. |
| Engineer/Technician/Sergeant | No Insignia | Silver | Engineers/technicians/sergeants are responsible for firefighting vehicles, such as fire engines, that transport firefighters, carry equipment, and pump water at fire scenes. |
| Firefighter | No Insignia | Silver | A firefighter is a rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and animals from dangerous situations. |
| Candidate firefighter | No Insignia | None | The primary responsibility of a probationary or rookie firefighter is to learn how to be a firefighter. They are both mentored and closely inspected by other senior firefighters and the officers. |
* Note: In place of bugles, ladder companies are signified by axes, rescue companies by life guns, squad companies by crossed ladders and stacked tip nozzles, and marine companies by bugles with an anchor.

## Media

The firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs of STLFD are featured in A&E Network's reality series Live Rescue.

## Fallen Firefighters

From May 17, 1849, to Jan 13th, 2022, the Supporting Heroes Page reported that 171 Firefighters in the St. Louis Fire Department died in the line of duty.

## Marine Division

some fireboats of the STLFD :
| image | name | commissioned | retired | dimensions | pumping capacity | notes |
| | Jack Buck | 2003 | | 27 feet | 4000 gpm | |
| | Stan Musial (fireboat) | 2013 | | 44-foot | 7000 gpm | |
As of 2013, there are four small fireboats operated in St. Louis. The largest two are named. The 27 feet (8.2 m) Jack Buck was commissioned in 2003 and the 44 feet (13 m) Stan Musial in 2013.

## Notable incidents
### Great Fire of 1849

On May 17, 1849, at 9:00 p.m., an enormous fire broke out in the heart of St. Louis. A steamboat named "The White Cloud" sitting on Cherry Street was on fire. The Fire Department, which, at that time, consisted of 9 hand engines and hose reels, responded to the scene. The moorings holding the boat broke, and the steamer floated downstream, setting 22 other steamers on fire as it went.
The flames leaped from building to building, sweeping everything on the levee for four blocks. The firemen were exhausted after fighting for over eight hours. The entire business portion of the city appeared lost. In a last-ditch effort to save the city, six buildings were spread with explosive powder and blown up. When the fire was finally contained after 11 hours, 430 buildings were destroyed, 23 steamboats along with over a dozen other boats were lost, and three people had died, including a fire captain.

## Stations and apparatus and Fire Boats

Below is a complete listing of all Fire Station and Apparatus Locations in the city of St. Louis by Battalion District, as of October 2019. In addition to the primary services (Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Prevention, Fire Cause Determination, Hazardous Materials Mitigation, and Rescue Services) The St. Louis Fire Department also provides structural fire protection, emergency medical services, rescue response, and aircraft rescue firefighting at St. Louis Lambert International Airport from the two fire stations located there.
| Fire Station Number | Address | Neighborhood | Engine Company or Rescue (Mini Pumper) Unit | Hook & Ladder Company, Truck Company or Crash Truck Units | Medic Unit | Special Unit | Chief Unit | Battalion |
| 1 | 2910 S. Jefferson Avenue | Benton Park | Engine 1 | | | Rescue Squad 1 Collapse Rescue unit Strike Force 2 | Battalion Chief 802 | 2 |
| 2 | 314 S. Tucker Blvd | Downtown | Engine 2 | Hook & Ladder 2 | Medic 2 | Chemical Unit 1 Air Truck Support Unit 7 | | 2 |
| 4 | 4425 S. Compton Avenue | Dutchtown | | Truck 4 | | | Battalion Chief 804 | 4 |
| 5 | 2123 North Market Street | St. Louis Place | | Hook & Ladder 1 Truck 5 | Medic 5 | | Battalion Chief 801 | 1 |
| 6 | 5747 Manchester Avenue | Cheltenham | Engine 6 | | | Marine Unit 1 | | 3 |
| 7 | 2600 LaSalle Street | Gate District | | Truck 7 | | Fire Investigation Unit 821 Unified Command Unit 900 | Deputy Chief 810 | 2 |
| 8 | 1501 Salisbury Street | Hyde Park | Engine 8 | | | | | 1 |
| 9 | 814 LaBeaume Avenue | Near North Riverfront | Engine 9 | | Medic 9 | | | 1 |
| 10 | 4161 Kennerly Avenue | The Ville | | Truck 10 | Medic 10 | | | 1 |
| 11 | 2224 S. 7th Street | Kosciusko | | Truck 11 | | Marine Unit 2, Marine Unit 3, Marine Unit 4, Water Rescue Unit | | 2 |
| 12 | 5214 W. Florissant Avenue | Mark Twain | | Hook and Ladder 6 | | | | 6 |
| 13 | 1400 Shawmut Place | Hamilton Heights | | Truck 13 | Medic 13 | | | 5 |
| 14 | 3523 Magnolia Avenue | Tower Grove East | Engine 14 | | Medic 14 | | | 4 |
| 17 | 3238 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd | Grand Center | | Truck 17 | | | | 1 |
| 19 | 6624 Morgan Ford Road | Boulevard Heights | Engine 19 | | | | | 4 |
| 20 | 5600 Prescott Avenue | North Riverfront | | Truck 20 | | Battalion Chief 806 | | 6 |
| 22 | 1229 McCausland Avenue | Hi-Pointe | | Truck 22 | | | | 3 |
| 23 | 6500 Michigan Avenue | Carondelet | Engine 23 | | Medic 23 | | | 4 |
| 24 | 5245 Natural Bridge Avenue | Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial | Engine 24 | | | | | 6 |
| 26 | 4520 Margaretta Avenue | Penrose | Engine 26 | | Medic 26 | | | 6 |
| 27 | 5435 Partridge Avenue | Walnut Park East | | Truck 27 | | | | 6 |
| 28 | 4810 Enright Avenue | Fountain Park | Engine 28 | Hook & Ladder 5 | | HatMat 1, HazMat 2 | Battalion Chief 805 | 5 |
| 29 | 200 S. Vandeventer Avenue | Midtown | Engine 29 | | | Rescue Squad 2, | | 5 |
| 30 | 541 DeBaliviere Avenue | Skinker DeBaliviere | | Truck 30 | | | | 5 |
| 31 | 4408 Donovan Avenue | St. Louis Hills | Engine 31 | | Medic 31 | | | 3 |
| 32 | 3500 S. Grand | Tower Grove East | Engine 32 | | Medic 32 | | | 4 |
| 33 | 8300 N. Broadway | Baden | Engine 33 | | Medic 33 | | | 6 |
| 34 | 8227 S. Broadway | Patch | | Truck 34 | | | | 4 |
| 35 | 5450 Arsenal Street | Southwest Garden | | Truck 35 | | Battalion 803 | | 3 |
| 36 | 5000 S. Kingshighway Blvd | Princeton Heights | | Hook & Ladder 3 | | | | 3 |
| North Fire Station | 6171 Aviation Drive | St. Louis Lambert International Airport | Rescue 42 (Mini-Pumper) | Crash Truck 45 | | Haz-Mat. Unit 47, Battalion 808 | Battalion Chief 808 | 8 |
| West Fire Station | 4578 Fee Fee Rd | St. Louis Lambert International Airport | Rescue 49 (Mini-Pumper) | Crash Truck 52 & 53, Hook & Ladder 40 | | Stairwell 53 | Battalion Chief 808 | 8 |