The Pasadena Fire Department (PFD) in Pasadena

Pasadena, Texas

Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 17th-largest in Texas, and 162nd largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston....

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 has a membership that includes over 200 active and 50 semi-active firefighters, as of 2010. The department responds to approximately 1700 alarms per year including technical rescue calls, and hazardous materials incidents, within the almost 60 square miles (155.4 km²) of the City of Pasadena, plus its Mutual Aid Agreement areas.

History

The City of Pasadena itself was incorporated in 1928, and the Pasadena Fire Department was established shortly thereafter in 1930 with a base membership of 25 firemen.

Responsibilities

The Pasadena Fire Department is the lead agency for fire suppression and rescue response for the City of Pasadena, Texas, and has mutual aid agreements with all of its neighboring cities as well as many other nearby municipal and industrial fire departments. Emergency medical services are provided by a private ambulance service under contract to the city.

The PFD further provides mutual aid fire protection to Ellington Field

Ellington Field

Ellington International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in the U.S. state of Texas within the city of Houston— southeast of Downtown. Established by the Army Air Service on 21 May 1917, Ellington Field was one of the initial World War I Army Air Service installations when...

, Johnson Space Center, and the University of Houston–Clear Lake

University of Houston–Clear Lake

The University of Houston–Clear Lake is a state university, and is a component institution of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 524-acre in Pasadena, with a satellite campus in Pearland. Founded in 1971, UHCL has an enrollment of more than 8,000 students...

. It is also an active member of the Channel Industrial Mutual Aid

Channel Industrial Mutual Aid

The Channel Industries Mutual Aid is a Houston area non-profit mutual aid network. It is a cooperative among over one hundred emergency response agencies in Harris, Chambers, and Brazoria counties and industrial fire departments from petrochemical refineries along the Houston Ship Channel...

 (CIMA) organization, which is a conglomeration of municipal and industrial fire departments that respond to the numerous petrochemical plants in the region.

Structure and equipment

The command structure of the fire department includes a paid (career) Fire Chief and Assistant Fire Chief, as well as a District Chief, Captain, and Lieutenant for each station. The PFD's administrative staff officers consist of an Executive Board, Pension Board, Secretary, Treasurer, and an Assistant Secretary/Treasurer. The department also maintains a training staff, medical officer, supply officer, and Reporter-Historian. Rounding out its support staff are the safety staff, chaplain corps, public liaison officer and information technology officer. PFD is also a sister organization to the Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office, which conducts inspections, fire prevention, and origin and cause investigations.

The department maintains a fleet of over 40 pieces of fire apparatus as well as multiple boats housed in 9 stations with one additional headquarters building. The oldest apparatus in the fleet is Pasadena's very first fire engine, a 1929 American LaFrance

American LaFrance

American LaFrance is an emergency and vocational vehicle manufacturer, currently based in Summerville, South Carolina. Focusing primarily on emergency apparatus fire engines and fire aerial including ambulance and rescue vehicles.-History:...

 pumper nicknamed "Old Betsy". This classic American LaFrance still drives in local parades and to special events within the community. A state of the art, live fire, burn building is located at PFD's training field.

Training

PFD is a department that prides itself on its training and tactics used to protect life and property. The highways and industry in PFD's district also tax the department's abilities on a regular basis. With this in mind, members are trained in the department's fire academy and then assigned to a station. All members further their training through regularly scheduled drill sessions at their stations. Members of the department are also encouraged to attend classes at Texas Engineering Extension Service

Texas Engineering Extension Service

Texas Engineering Extension Service, abbreviated TEEX, is a state agency that offers training programs and technical assistance to public safety workers, both in Texas and around the world. Established in 1940 as the Industrial Extension Service, the agency took on its current name when it joined...

 (TEEX), the Texas A&M

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

Fire School, CIMA classes and drills, as well as other department classes.