Fire Fighting
Managed by Deputy Chief Perry Oldenburg
The Boise Fire Department's Operations Division is currently staffed by 216 firefighters at 15 fire stations. Firefighters work a 48/96 schedule with three shifts. The Operations Division is divided into two Battalions on two of the shifts and three Battalions on the third shift. The firefighters respond to a wide variety of 911 calls that include; structure fires, wildland fires, motor vehicle accidents, vehicle extrication, dive rescue incidents, hazardous material incidents, technical rescue incidents, and aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF).
The Operations Division runs 14 engine companies staffed with three firefighters each, 3 truck companies staffed with four firefighters each, 3 ARFF vehicles staffed by one firefighter each, and 2 to 3 Battalions Chiefs per shift. The following equipment is cross staffed or covered seasonally: 1 heavy rescue truck, 1 quick response rope rescue truck, 5 wildland firefighting vehicles, 1 dive company, 1 hazardous materials company and 1 technical rescue company.
EMT/Paramedics
All Boise Firefighters are State certified Emergency Medical Technicians. In January 2006, the department received an Advanced Life Support (ALS) license. Currently, we have upgraded two engine companies to ALS Engines. The department has hired 14 firefighter/paramedics who are assigned to Engine Companies with response districts that would benefit most from having an ALS Engine.
Who is Boise's Firefighter of the year? Click here to find out!
If you would like to commend a Firefighter or Fire Station Crew for outstanding service, click here.
Are you interested in becoming a firefighter for the Boise Fire Department? Click on Recruitment to read about requirements and salary benefits or view the photo gallery of Recruit Academy.
Special Operations Teams
Managed by Division Chief Paul Roberts
Tech Rescue
The Tech Rescue Team was established in April of 2002 and consists of approximately 30 members. Their mission is to respond and operate at the Technician level within the chapters defined by the National Fire Protection Association. The team maintains a high level of service through annual training by completing, updating and creating new and improved performance standards that meet or exceed the national standard. The State of Idaho's Bureau of Homeland Security has recognized the Technical Rescue Team as one of three regional Idaho Collapse Search and Rescue teams.
ARFF
The Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) Team was established in 1965 and consists of approximately 30 members. Their mission is to respond and operate on the airfield of the Boise International Airport within a 15 mile radius of the airport. The ARFF team maintains a level of certification through an annual training program created by the Boise Fire Department's Training Division. The training program has been evaluated and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through annual inspections of the airport.
HazMat
The Hazardous Materials Team was established in 1991 and consists of approximately 30 members. Their mission is to respond and operate at the Technician level as defined by the National Fire Protection Association Standard 472. The team maintains its level of performance and competency through an approved and accepted annual training program that continually evaluates members' performance by means of competency based training. The HazMat Team has been recognized by the State of Idaho's Bureau of Homeland Security as one of the seven Regional Response Teams.
If you have used motor oil, latex paint, aerosol cans, garden chemicals or unused electronic equipment around the house, these items can be dropped off at a hazardous materials collection site. There are several collection sites in Boise to drop off hazardous waste, including particular fire stations in the City. Click here to view a list of acceptable hazardous materials and collection sites.
Dive Team
The Dive Team was establish in 1982 and consists of approximately 30 members. Their mission is to respond to water related incidents within the jurisdictional boundaries and procedural operations for which it is responsible. The team is nationally certified by Dive Rescue International to perform rescue operations in the following areas: open water rescue, current water rescue, subsurface ice rescue and surface ice rescue. Operations have been performed in local rivers and canals, in water flow measuring up to 7000 cfs and in depths over 100 feet.
Foothills Motor Response
For the past few years, Boise Fire Department crews have been speeding up their response times to trail-related accidents via ATV. Starting this year they will be able to access increased trails much more quickly via dirt bike and ATV. The vehicles will allow Fire Department personnel to access single track trails and other areas in the foothills getting to injured hikers and riders more efficiently.