LFD celebrates 150 years

Pictured are all six currently living Fire Chiefs of the Lexington Fire Department representing leadership from 1987 to present day. From left: Fire Chief Jason Wells, Kristin Chilton, Keith Jackson, Robert “Bob” Hendricks, William “Bill” Holleran and Gary McComas.

The inception of the Lexington Fire Department has been traced back to this month in history, 150 years ago! 

Firefighting in the early days required that all able-bodied men, often aided by women, show up to form a bucket brigade. The men who were part of the Lexington Fire Company, organized along the lines of a militia company, turned out to the fire with buckets, hooks, axes and ladders to fight each blaze.

Following two separate fires that destroyed multiple city blocks in August 1871, the Lexington Fire Company was reorganized and the Lexington Fire Department as we know it was created on Sept. 7, 1871.

The common theme of the fire service has been responding to the real threat of property loss, injury and death caused by fire. Our history shows intentional efforts to evolve with the changing needs of our community in order to always provide the best and most relevant services possible.

At present, the Lexington Fire Department continues to serve as the Commonwealth’s largest department providing progressive, all-hazard services to best meet the needs of our growing population. Operating out of 24 fire stations, our firefighters are all IFSAC I/II, EMT-B, and HazMat Ops certified. Additionally, we provide full-time fire prevention, education, and investigation programs, as well as structural and ARFF firefighting, advanced life support EMS, hazardous materials, and technical rescue services. During the past five years, we have responded to over 304,000 local emergencies.

We are looking forward to a two-week-long celebration of our department and its history. The line-up of events runs from Sept. 19 – Oct. 3, 2021. Visit the LFD Facebook page for more information. 

150th LFD Anniversary Events
###

Contact

You may also like...

Link to Part of Martin Luther King Blvd. closed for sanitary sewer work
Nov. 22, 2024 3:14 pm

Part of Martin Luther King Blvd. closed for sanitary sewer work

Martin Luther King Blvd. will be closed between East Fifth Street and Rand Ave. starting Monday, Nov. 25 for sanitary sewer construction.

Link to Applications open for Bluegrass AgTech’s 2nd round of grants
Nov. 22, 2024 12:15 pm

Applications open for Bluegrass AgTech’s 2nd round of grants

The Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp (BADC) grant program will take another big step forward Friday, inviting agtech businesses to apply for a sec

Link to Lexington again recognized as equality leader
Nov. 21, 2024 2:05 pm

Lexington again recognized as equality leader

Once again, Lexington has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign, a nationally acclaimed civil rights organization, as a leader in lesbian, g