The Denver Fire Department provides

fire protection Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially Conflagration, destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, Compartmentalization (fire protection), compartmentalisation, suppression and inve ...

and first responder

emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...

to the city of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, Colorado. The department is responsible for an area of with a population estimated at 690,000. The Denver Fire Department also provides fire protection to the citizens of Glendale, Sheridan, Skyline, and Englewood.

History

The Denver Fire Department got its start on March 25, 1866 when a

volunteer fire department A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respo ...

was organized. Known as ''Volunteer Hook and Ladder Co. #1'', the company was the first in the

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

Stations and apparatus

, the Denver Fire Department operates out of 39

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...

s (including 5 Airport Stations), located throughout the city in 7 Districts, each under the command of a District Chief.

Notable Incidents

United Airlines Flight 859

In July 1961, United Airlines Flight 859 crashed during landing at the now defunct

Stapleton International Airport Stapleton International Airport was a major airport in the western United States, and the primary airport of Denver, Colorado. It opened on October 17, 1929, and was replaced by the current Denver International Airport in 1995. It was a hub f ...

. The aircraft, a

Douglas DC-8 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is an early long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body jetliner designed and produced by the American Douglas Aircraft Company. Work began in 1952 towards the United States Air Force's (USA ...

airliner, slammed into several airport vehicles, including construction equipment, and caught fire, killing 18 (including one on the ground) and injuring 84 from a total of 122 people on board. This incident sparked the need for the DFD to place foam engines at the airport.

Continental Airlines Flight 1713

On November 15, 1987, a Douglas DC-9-14 Continental Airlines Flight 1713 crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from

. Twenty-five passengers and three crew members died in the crash.

Continental Airlines Flight 1404

On December 20, 2008,

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

Flight 1404 from

Denver International Airport Denver International Airport , often referred to by locals as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor. At , Effective Ju ...

George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Initially named Houston Intercontinental Airport upon its opening in 1969, it was renamed in ho ...

crashed while taking off from Denver resulting in 2 critical injuries, 36 non-critical injuries and a

hull loss A hull loss is an aviation accident that damages the aircraft beyond economic repair, resulting in a total loss. The term also applies to situations where the aircraft is missing, the search for its wreckage is terminated, or the wreckage is ...

of the Boeing 737-524 aircraft.

References

External links

Denver Firefighters Museum
{{coord, 39.7392, -104.9850, dim:300000_region:region:US-CO_type:city, name=City and County of Denver, display=title Government of Denver Fire departments in Colorado 1866 establishments in Colorado Territory