The East Providence Fire Department is a full-time career Department that protects 48,688 residents in an area of 16.5 square miles. The main operating frequency for the Department is 470.7625 MHz, under the identification of KCB 723. All dispatching is done by a group of professional Dispatchers located at the City's Central Communications Office within the Police Department Headquarters. The Fire Department handles more than 10,000 calls for assistance each year and has a Class 2 ISO rating.
History
The Department was organized in 1875, with the first paid members starting in 1911. Despite the era of its origination, the Department never used horse-drawn equipment, making the transition directly from hand-pulled to motorized apparatus. At full strength, the Department employs 120 members.
Today
The Department is led by a 28-year veteran, Chief Glenn J. Quick. The Department members are divided into staff and line divisions. Staff personnel include the Chief of Department, 1 Administrative Assistant, 2 Fire Prevention Officers, 2 Training & Safety Division Officers, 1 Emergency Medical Services Director, 1 Fire Alarm Inspector, and 1 Fire Prevention Secretary. Line personnel operate four groups, with each group rotating through a 42-hour work week of two ten-hour days, two fourteen-hour nights, followed by four days off. Each group is commanded by a Battalion Chief, with a minimum on-duty strength of 26 personnel. All members of the Department, with the exception of the Chief of Department, are members of Local 850, International Association of Firefighters.
All Department line personnel are certified to the NFPA 1001 Firefighter I & II levels, Hazardous Materials Operations level, and Emergency Medical Technician - Cardiac or Basic. All Fire Officers are certified to the NFPA 1021 Fire Officer Level I.
The Department operates out of 4 Stations, manning 5 Fire Engines, 2 Ladder Trucks, 3 ALS Rescue Vehicles, 1 Special Hazards (Heavy Rescue), 1 Hazardous Materials Truck and 1 Battalion Vehicle. The Department also maintains 2 Fire Engines and 3 ALS Rescues in reserve status. The Special Hazards Truck is manned by the members assigned to Station 1, while Haz Mat 1 is manned by members of Station 3.
Minimum manning consists of 1 Officer and 2 Firefighters on each Engine Company; 1 Officer and 1 Firefighter on each Ladder Company; and 2 Firefighter/EMT-C's on each Rescue Vehicle. All Engine and Ladder Companies carry Automatic External Defibrillators and are certified as ALS response units.
The Department operates a Hazardous Materials Response Team, mitigating haz-mat emergencies both on a City and State level. The Department was the first Department in the State of Rhode Island to operate a dedicated, mobile Hazardous Materials Response Truck.
With 3.2 square miles of inland water and 14.4 miles of coastline to open water encompassing the Seekonk and Providence Rivers as well as the upper Narragansett Bay, the Department operates with 3 watercraft. Zodiac 1 and Zodiac 2 are 16' trailered inflatable boats housed as Stations 2 and 3. Marine 3 is a 34', all-weather, CBRNE compliant fire/rescue boat. Docked year-round at Bold Point, it is a major part of the Port of Providence Marine Strike Team.