Today on August 16, 1916, the Lakeland Fire Department was officially established as a career fire department. Happy 103 …..
The Lakeland Fire Department’s first paid fire chief (in white) along with the department’s firefighters, both paid and volunteer. Featured are the department’s first motorized apparatus, including a 1913 LaFrance Pumper.
Today’s Lakeland Fire Department has grown to employ 178 personnel operating seven stations, a maintenance facility, training center, and an administrative building; with a response area of approximately 84-square miles. The department has also broadened its range of services to include heavy rescue, technical rescue, fire prevention, fire code enforcement, fire investigation, aircraft rescue and firefighting, and in-house fleet maintenance; this is all in addition to the exceptional fire suppression and emergency medical response service the department is known for.
In recent history, the department has celebrated other historical accomplishments, like providing Lakeland with the best Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification Rating of a 1, the highest it has ever had.
Learn more about the department’s ISO classifications and what it means here.
The Lakeland Fire Department of today enjoys top of the line equipment, highly trained and professional personnel, and the ability to provide outstanding emergency response services to the people of Lakeland because of the forward-thinking of its leaders over a hundred years ago.