# Louisville Division of Fire

The Louisville Division of Fire, commonly known as the Louisville Fire Department or Louisville Fire & Rescue (abbreviated LFD or LFR), is the sole fire suppression agency for the city of Louisville, Kentucky and is one of eight fire departments within the Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky metropolitan area. The Louisville Division of Fire responded to 46,782 incidents in 2022. As of 2022 the Chief of Department was Gregory Frederick.

## History

The Louisville Fire Department is the third oldest all-paid staff fire department in the nation. The first fire brigades established in Louisville were in 1780, two years after the city's creation. The first firehouses in Louisville were volunteer fire departments scattered throughout the city until June 1, 1858, when the city took control and replaced the hand engines with five steam engines and volunteers with paid staff. There were initially three fire stations, 65 full-time firefighters, and 23 horses.

## Operations

The Louisville Division of Fire currently operates out of 21 fire stations, located throughout the city in 4 battalions. Each battalion is commanded by a battalion chief. The 4 battalions are under the command of a citywide tour commander each shift. The Louisville Division of Fire operates 18 engine companies, 8 truck companies (including 3 quints), 2 rescue companies, 3 HazMat units, 3 fireboats, 1 ventilation unit, 5 utility mule ATVs, and numerous special, support, and reserve units.
Rescue Company 2 (housed with, and staffed by, the crews of Engine 2 and Truck 1) provides high-angle and dive rescue services. Rescue Company 11 (housed with, and staffed by, the crew of Quint 7) provides trench and structural collapse rescue services. Hazardous materials incidents are handled by Haz-Mat Companies 1, 19, and 21. Haz-Mat Company 1 is housed with Engine 1 adjacent the Louisville International Airport, Haz-Mat Company 19 is housed with Engine 19 in the city's west side, near the Rubbertown area, which is home to many industrial plants, and Haz-Mat Company 21 is housed with Engine 21 on the city's northeast side, near downtown.

## Stations and apparatus

Below is a list of stations and apparatus in use by the Louisville Division of Fire.
| Firehouse # | Neighborhood | Engine Company | Quint Company,Tower Company,or Truck Company | Special Units | Chief Units | Battalion |
| 1 | Standiford | Engine 1 | | HazMat 1 | | 3 |
| 2 | Russell | Engine 2 | Truck 1 | Rescue 2 (Water Rescue) | Chief 5 (Tour Commander), Battalion 5 (Safety) | 1 |
| 3 | Bowman | | Quint 10 | ATV 703 | Battalion 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Crescent Hill | Engine 4 | | | | 4 |
| 5 | Downtown | Engine 5 | Tower 2 | ATV 705 | Battalion 2 | 2 |
| 6 | Portland | Engine 6 | | ATV 706 | | 1 |
| 8 | Klondike | Engine 8 | | | | 4 |
| 9 | Smoketown | Engine 9 | | | | 2 |
| 10 | Beechmont | Engine 10 | Truck 8 | | Battalion 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Original Highlands | | Quint 7 | Rescue 11 (Technical Rescue) | | 4 |
| 12 | Hazelwood | Engine 12 | | Rehab 12 | | 3 |
| 14 | Camp Taylor | | Quint 9 | | | 3 |
| 15 | Shelby Park | Engine 15 | | Vent 15 | | 2 |
| 16 | University of Louisville | Engine 16 | Truck 3 | Air Utility 16 | | 2 |
| 17 | California | Engine 17 | | | | 1 |
| 18 | South Louisville | Engine 18 | | | | 3 |
| 19 | Park DuValle | Engine 19 | | HazMat 19, Decon 19, Nozzle 19 | | 1 |
| 20 | Bonnycastle | Engine 20 | | | | 4 |
| 21 | Butchertown | Engine 21 | | HazMat 21, ATV 721 | | 2 |
| 22 | Shawnee | Engine 22 | Truck 4 | | Battalion 1 | 1 |
| 23 | Kenwood Hill | Engine 23 | | ATV 723 | | 3 |