New Haven Fire Department

New Haven Fire Department

Operational area
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
City	New Haven
Agency overview[1]
Established	June 24, 1862 (1862-06-24)
Annual calls	25,848 (2015)
Employees	376 (2014)
Annual budget	$30,976,412 (2014)
Staffing	Career
Fire chief	John Alston, jr.
IAFF	825
Facilities and equipment[2]
Divisions	4
Battalions	2
Stations	10
Engines	10
Trucks	1
Tillers	2
Platforms	1
Squads	2
HAZMAT	2
USAR	1
Wildland	1
Fireboats	1
Rescue boats	1
Light and air	1
Website
Official website
IAFF website

The New Haven Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of New Haven, Connecticut.^[3] The New Haven Fire Department currently serves a population of over 130,000 people living in 19 square miles of land.

EMS transport services are contracted by the city to American Medical Response which provides both BLS (EMT) and ALS (EMT-Paramedic) ambulances.

As of 2016 the NHFD has received an ISO Class 1 rating, making New Haven the third department in Connecticut (the other two being Hartford, CT and Milford, CT) with an ISO Class 1 rating and 1 of 60+/- departments in the country.

Operations

Fire Station Locations and Companies

The New Haven Fire Department currently operates out of 10 fire stations, located throughout the city and organized into 2 battalions: East and West. The NHFD operates 10 engine companies, 4 truck companies, 2 squad companies, and 2 paramedic emergency units. Each engine and truck company, as well as Squad 2, are staffed by an officer and 3 firefighters. Squad 1 is staffed by an officer and 4 firefighters.

As of August 2015 this is a listing of all stations and apparatus in front line service operated by the New Haven Fire Department.^[2]

Disbanded Fire Companies

Throughout the history of the New Haven Fire Department, there have been several fire companies that have been disbanded due to budget cuts and reorganization.

* Engine 1 - 525 Howard Ave. - Disbanded 1962
* Engine 2 - 952 Grand Ave. - Disbanded 1980
* Engine 3 - 125 Goffe St. - Disbanded 1981 to form Tactical Unit 1
* Engine 7 - 412 Lombard St. - Disbanded 1981 to form Tactical Unit 2
* Engine 12 - 47 Crown St. - Disbanded 1961
* Engine 14 - 350 Whitney Ave. - Disbanded 1971
* Truck 5 - 105 Fountain St. - Disbanded 1999
* Truck 6 - 350 Whitney Ave. - Disbanded 1991
* Tactical Unit 1 - 125 Goffe St. - Disbanded 1990 to form Squad 1
* Tactical Unit 2 - 412 Lombard St. - Disbanded 2001 to form Squad 2
* Car 35(Second Battalion Chief) - 350 Whitney Ave.
* Emergency Unit 3 - 824 Woodward Ave.
* Emergency Unit 4 - 525 Howard Ave.
* Emergency Unit 5 - 952 Grand Ave.

Response Protocols

• EMS Alarm (BLS) - 1 Engine Company
• EMS Alarm (ALS) - 1 Engine Company & 1 Emergency Unit
• Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) - 1 Engine Company & 1 Emergency Unit
  • MVA Roll Over or Extrication Required - 1 Engine Company, 1 Squad Company & 1 Emergency Unit
  • MVA On Highway or Parkway - 1 Engine Company, 1 Squad Company, 1 Emergency Unit & 1 Battalion Chief
• Still Alarm - 1 Engine Company & 1 Truck Company
• Still Alarm (Carbon Monoxide) - 1 Engine Company & 1 Squad Company
  • Carbon Monoxide with Symptoms Reported - Battalion Chief & 1 Emergency Unit Added
• Box Alarm (Signal 21) - 3 Engine Company's, 1 Squad Company, 1 Truck Company, 1 Emergency Unit & 1 Battalion Chief ( 4th Due Engine or Squad is RIT)
  • High Rise - Additional Truck Company & Deputy Chief (Car 32) Added
  • Working Fire Transmitted (Signal 73) - Deputy Chief (Car 32) & Second Due Engine Company on 3rd Alarm to Pick Up and Drop Off Rehab Unit
• 2nd Alarm (Signal 22) - 2 Engine Company's, 1 Squad Company, 1 Truck Company, Chief Of Operations (Car 39), Director of Training & Safety (Car 36), EMS Supervisor (EMS 5), Air Supply Unit (Car 50), 2 Drillmasters/Safety Officers (Cars 81-86)
  • Company's Relocated For Better Coverage of City
• 3rd Alarm (Signal 23) - 2 Engine Company's, 1 Truck Company & Battalion Chief
  • Call Backs Made To Staff Reserve Companys -1 Engine Company (Engine 2, 3 or 7), 1 Truck Company (Truck 5) & 1 Deputy Chief (Car 32A)
  • Mutual Aide Requested For Station Coverage
• 4th Alarm (Signal 24) - 2 Engine Company's, 1 Truck Company & 1 Emergency Unit
• 5th Alarm (Signal 25) - Remaining Engine Company & Reserve / Mutual Aide Company's

Controversy

In 2009 eighteen city firefighters, seventeen of whom were white and one of whom was Hispanic, brought suit against the department under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 after they had passed the test for promotions to management positions and the city declined to promote them.^[4] New Haven officials invalidated the test results because none of the black firefighters scored high enough to be considered for the positions. City officials stated that they feared a lawsuit over the test's disproportionate exclusion of certain racial groups from promotion under the controversial "disparate impact" theory of liability.^[5][6]

References