New Orleans Fire Department
The New Orleans Fire Department provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. The department serves 378,715 people living in a area, including of water. History. The NOFD got its start in April 1829 when a group of men organized a volunteer fire department. The volunteer organization was known as the Firemen's Charitable Association, a title that would remain for 62 years until the first paid fire-fighting force, the New Orleans Fire Department, came into existence on December 15, 1891. Chief Engineer Thomas O'Connor, the first  leader of the volunteers, stayed on to become the first Chief of the New Orleans Fire Department. Stations and apparatus. , below is a complete listing of all fire station and apparatus locations in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Notable incidents. Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana on August 29, 2005. The effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans included 1,464 deaths, 80% flooding of the city, and many burned buildings.