Bakersfield Fire Department

BFD Steam Fire Engine #2 circa 1912

The Bakersfield Fire Department has its earliest origins back to 1868. During this time, Colonel Thomas Baker (founder of the City of Bakersfield) kept wooden buckets full of water to fight any fires that threatened the area of Bakersfield.[3] In 1874, the Bakersfield Fire Company was organized with a small number of Firefighters, who would often sponsor events in the area to raise money for needed fire equipment and apparatus. On May 13, 1877, the Bakersfield Fire Department was formally established.[3] In 1910, Kern City merged with Bakersfield, giving the City of Bakersfield an additional fire station, Station 2. Four years later, in 1914, the Bakersfield Fire Department became completely motorized.[3]

The Bakersfield Fire Department's communications division, known as ECC (Emergency Communications Center), is located in the Whiting Communications Center in Northeast Bakersfield. ECC is a joint dispatch center for the Kern County Fire, Bakersfield Fire, and California City Fire Departments. Built in 1988, ECC is responsible for dispatching resources over an area of approximately 8,100 square miles (21,000 km²) that includes 65 fire stations. ECC's approximate call volume for incoming and outgoing calls is approximate 412,000 calls a year (2018). The number of calls dispatched by ECC for 2018 was approx 112,000. Emergency Dispatchers are trained to handle Emergency and Non-Emergency Fire and Medical 911 calls for the entire County of Kern using the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch protocols.

ECC has been an accredited center of excellence ( ACE ) since 2002, maintaining the highest standards of care in emergency dispatch.  [4]

The Bakersfield Fire Department has 14 stations spread across the city.[2]

Bakersfield Fire Department Engine 1

Template:County of Kern