(Pictured left to right - John McCollum, Thomas Pinkney Coe and L. C. Tully Sr. - Horses are Dick and Jack)
The mission of the Tallahassee Fire Department is to provide for the safety and welfare of our community and our members through prevention, preparation and protection.
The City of Tallahassee's Fire Department has been fighting fires and responding to emergencies for more than 100 years. While Tallahassee developed as a city, firefighting was a community effort ranging from "bucket brigades" to hand and horse-drawn wagons. In 1868, the first volunteer fire company was established in the city. Volunteer fire companies came and went until in September of 1902, the Tallahassee Volunteer Fire Company was formed. In May of 1930 its named changed to Tallahassee Fire Department. With this came six paid firefighters and six volunteer firefighters who were paid only for drilling and responding to a fire. In March of 1915 the first motorized fire truck, an American LaFrance engine, was purchased for the sum of $8,000 and placed in service. In December of that year, all five fire horses (Tom, Jerry, Dick, Jack, Jake) were sold for one dollar each.
Fire prevention has been a large part of the fabric of the City of Tallahassee. In 1843, the city council enacted an ordinance that required all buildings in downtown Tallahassee to be constructed of fire resistive material. This was in response to the "Great Fire of 1843" that destroyed more than 90 structures in the downtown business district. The fire started in the Hotel Washington located on the SE corner on S. Monroe Street and St. Augustine Street. In less than 3 hours it spread north, all the way to Park Avenue where its Northward progress stopped. Unfortunately, the fire destroyed most of the buildings on the East side of Monroe Street to Calhoun Street and on the West side of Monroe Street to Adams Street. As a result, many items in the local newspapers at the time warned citizens of the dangers of defective flues and chimneys which created sparks on roofs. Because of this, it was recommended that ladders were to be readily available at all residences so neighbors could possibly put out a fire with a bucket of water.
Firefighting, fire prevention and responses to all types of emergencies have grown extensively in the last 100 years. Today TFD has 16 stations serving and protecting about 702 square miles of incorporated and unincorporated land in Tallahassee and Leon County and approximately 292,000 people. The department is comprised of 284 full-time certified firefighters, 260 of whom respond to over 28,000 incidents annually and 24 whom are on staff. In addition, 17 general support employees provide a variety of administrative support.
The face of firefighting is changing constantly. In Tallahassee's recent past, most calls were for fires, predominantly resulting from kitchen accidents, chimney sparks and arson. Now the department faces a multifaceted response requirement that is daunting, to say the least. Thirty-two percent of current emergency calls are for emergency medical services (EMS). To field approximately 15,000 EMS calls annually, TFD provides the largest non-hospital-based medical response force from Jacksonville to Pensacola. In the face of a major medical emergency in the community, TFD will be the first responder.
But, above and beyond the medical response mission of the department, TFD has trained its staff to respond to such specialized needs as arson investigation, structure collapse, high-angle rescue, extrication, search and rescue, and hazardous materials. TFD personnel review all new and existing commercial construction plans, and they also conduct fire safety inspections of these occupancies to ensure that the construction is in accordance with the approved plans. Additionally, TFD works with the county and state agencies and assumes the lead role for the city in planning ahead for and responding to man-made and natural disasters.
TFD has a long and distinguished history of responding to the public safety needs of the city and Leon County and other surrounding counties. The Department enthusiastically accepts this challenge. TFD continues to plan how to best serve and protect citizens for the next 100 years.