The Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) 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 81 square miles (210 km2) of land and 11 square miles (28 km2) of water, with a resident population of over 640,000 and a daytime population of over 1,000,000.[1] The BCFD responds to approximately 235,000 emergency calls annually. There are two International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) 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".[3] 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.
Engine Company 2, 800 Light Street, October 2015
In popular culture
The movie Ladder 49 portrays the BCFD, with a fictional truck company (referred to as a ladder company in the film).[4] 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:[5]
All frequencies in MHz
Channel
Frequency
Use
1
154.310
VHF backup
3
154.385
Fireground 1, 2, 3 or 4 simulcast (only simulcasts the most recent ongoing incident)
During the civil unrest in Baltimore that took place from April 27, 2015 to April 28, the Baltimore Fire Department was backed up with multiple calls and also battled against rioters. Many fire trucks were damaged by rioters; bottles and rocks were thrown at the trucks as they were responding to incidents. In one case there is also video footage of a citizen cutting a fire truck's fire hose in an effort to hinder its effectiveness. The Baltimore Fire Department responded to 144 vehicle fires and 15 structure fires during the course of the unrest. Many surrounding areas such as Howard County Fire & Rescue, Anne Arundel County Fire Department and Prince George's County Fire Department sent crews to Baltimore to help the Baltimore Fire Department during the riots.[6]
