Today’s Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department (MDFR) originally began in 1935 as a "fire patrol" consisting of only one employee and one truck under the direction of the Agriculture Department. But this patrol grew rapidly and, by 1957, it encompassed 51 employees, 10 stations and 12 pieces of apparatus.

In 1958 the fire patrol became a division of the Dade County Public Safety Department, and two years later the inaugural class of 15 firefighters graduated from the new fire college.

The department's growth has been a reflection of its numerous mergers with municipal departments and Dade County's continuous population expansion over the years. In 1965 the Metropolitan Dade County Fire Department (MDFD) was created. A medical rescue service program was implemented in 1973, adding the word Rescue to the department's name. The department's lime green color was seen on response vehicles the following year.

Fire and rescue units responded to more than 200,000 calls for assistance annually, approximately 80 percent of which originate as medical rescue calls. With nearly 2,500 employees located at 60 fire rescue stations and several administrative facilities, this department provides service to unincorporated Miami-Dade County and 28 municipalities, including a resident population of more than 1.6 million distributed over approximately 1,900 square miles.

The territory covered by MDFR is divided into Three Operations Divisions and a Special Operations Division, which are divided into 13 Battalions. Along with suppression and EMS capabilities, MDFR has the ability to transport patients to area trauma hospitals via Air Rescue's two trauma helicopters. The department also has a Marine Services Bureau responding to incidents requiring their expertise in the many waterways throughout our county.

MDFR maintains an entire Division at Miami International Airport, which also oversees Aviation Firefighting at Kendall Tamiami Airport and Opa Locka Airport. Our Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) has responded to natural disasters throughout the world, as well as the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City and the tragic attacks at the Pentagon and World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The USAR Team includes K-9 units trained to find people trapped in collapsed buildings and specialized equipment. Our Technical Rescue Team members are experts in vehicle extrication, confined space rescue and rope rescue. Our Hazardous Material Bureau responds to incidents of toxic releases and chemical spills and works closely with both the Office of Emergency Management and Miami International Airport, training professionals in the control and proper response to HazMat incidents. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has launched a program called MERT - Motorcycle Emergency Response Team. These first-responder units are able to arrive quickly at a scene, assess the situation, administer medical care and assist other MDFR crews. The department maintains a mobile command vehicle for large-scale incident response and other specialized apparatus, including two 3,000-gallon tankers.

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department is dedicated to providing the best possible service to the residents and visitors of Miami-Dade County. To help achieve this, MDFR provides its employees with the latest training using the most up-to-date equipment and apparatus available. This unending commitment to our customers exemplifies our motto, "ALWAYS READY, PROUD TO SERVE."

HISTORY

Map of Miami Dade County Firehouses

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