Baltimore City Fire Department
The Baltimore City Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1797 and established in 1859, the Baltimore City Fire Department covers an area of of land and of water, with a resident population of over 640,000 and a daytime population of over 1,000,000. The BCFD responds to approximately 235,000 emergency calls annually. There are two International Association of Fire Fighters locals; IAFF 734 for firefighters and IAFF 964 for officers.
History
Baltimore's early firefighting was performed by volunteers. The various companies engaged in serious rivalries, resulting in what a Baltimore mayor termed "irregularities". For example, gangs operating out of firehouses participated in the Baltimore Know-Nothing riots of 1856. A municipal organization was established in 1859.The Great Baltimore Fire in 1904 burned for 30 hours straight and decimated a major part of central Baltimore, including over 1,500 buildings. Mutual aid companies from as far away as Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York City were called in to assist. The fire led to uniform national standards in fire fighting equipment and protocols. As with other large fires of the time, it was a predecessor to the stringent fire codes of today.
In popular culture
The movie Ladder 49 portrays the BCFD, with a fictional truck company. Members of the BCFD served as advisors for the film.Frequencies
The Baltimore City Fire Department operates on a 800mhz APCO-25 Phase 1 digital system. This is a list of simulcast VHF frequencies to program into a scanner or radio to listen to BCFD radio communication:| Channel | Frequency | Use |
| 1 | 154.310 | VHF backup |
| 3 | 154.385 | Fireground 1, 2, 3 or 4 simulcast |
| 5 | 154.415 | A2 dispatch simulcast |
| 6 | 154.145 | A1 main simulcast |