Louisville Division of Fire

The Louisville Division of Fire, commonly known as the Louisville Fire Department or Louisville Fire & Rescue, 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. the Chief of Department was Brian C. O'Neill.

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.

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, 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 provides high-angle and dive rescue services. Rescue Company 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. Haz-Mat Company 21 is housed with Engine 21 on the city's northeast side, near downtown.

Below is a list of stations and apparatus in use by the Louisville Division of Fire.