Scranton Fire Department
The Scranton Fire Department (also known as the City of Scranton Bureau of Fire, SFD, Scranton Fire, and Station 50) provides fire protection, rescue services, hazardous materials mitigation, to the City of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The department used volunteer fire companies throughout its history and was established as a career fire department on May 4, 1901. The city maintained a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters from 1901 to 1907 when a full time department was established. The Scranton Fire Department remains a full-time all career department today, with a total of about 139 professional firefighters and  fire officers protecting the City of Scranton. History. The City of Scranton utilized numerous volunteer fire companies from 1866 (The year Scranton incorporated as a city) onward until the local government formally enacted an ordinance authorizing a paid bureau of fire in 1901. On May 4, 1901, the City of Scranton Bureau of Fire was established. This, however, did not remove volunteers from the City's fire responses, as the department continued to utilize volunteers in a paid/volunteer combination system until 1907. During a Typhoid epidemic in 1906, the Health Bureau was concerned noise from audible fire sirens used  to alert volunteers would disturb patients. In response to this, the Bureau of Fire added 25 permanent firefighters to its roster bolstering its paid staff and lessening the need for these audible fire siren systems. In 1911, the Bureau of Fire purchased its first motorized fire apparatus, a Chief's car. More apparatus would be motorized going forward until horse-drawn firefighting vehicles were phased out completely in 1923. Ambulance service. The Scranton Fire Department began to maintain an ambulance service starting 1948. They were known as Car 20 (later known as Car 24) and Car 23. Two firefighters would  staff the ambulance and respond to medical calls in the City. This would remain until 1988 when the ambulance service was discontinued. Union representation. After years of going without a union, Scranton Firefighters organized under The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), Local 60. The Union lapsed its membership in the 1930s, again foregoing a union until 1940, when it rejoined under IAFF Local 669. This would remain until 2000 when the Union successfully won the right to use its original IAFF Local Union number. To this day Scranton Firefighters are represented by IAFF Local 60. Stations and apparatus. The City  of Scranton currently maintains 7 fire stations which house all fire apparatus, firefighters, and offices for the fire department. This amounts to having 5 engine companies, 2 truck companies, a rescue company, and a command/chief car providing protection to the City of Scranton on a daily basis. The department also keeps specialty vehicles in reserve for use on specific incident types. Additionally, the city of Scranton keeps 4 engines and one truck company in reserve in case additional fire protection service is needed or to swap out apparatus while the front line apparatus are maintained and repaired. Scranton Fire