Dallas Fire-Rescue Department

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department is headed by Fire Chief (FC) Dominique Artis,[1] under whom the department has the command of numerous units assigned to it. Also, the department includes the office of strategic planning, the public information officer (PIO),[9] the office of financial services, and the chief of staff - Assistant Chief Randall Stidham.

Under Assistant Chief Randall Stidham are four bureaus, each headed by another assistant chief (AC):[10]

Bureaus:

• Emergency Response (ERB), EMS & Special Operations: AC Justin Ball
• Recruiting & Communications: AC Daniel Salazar
• Fire Prevention & Investigation (FP&I): AC Tameji Berry
• Training & Administration: AC Frank McKinley

Under each divisional assistant chief will be deputy chiefs (DCs) or managers who head a specific program or branch.

Emergency Response Bureau, EMS, and Special Operations include field deputy chiefs, special ops, and safety. Safety in turn includes field safety battalion chiefs (BCs)[11]

Recruiting & Communications includes EMS, communications, and geographical information services.[12]

Fire Prevention & Investigation includes the Fire Marshall's Office and arson investigation.[13]

Training & Administration includes all training services (including recruiting, fire protection, EMS, and USAR), maintenance and warehousing, and the chaplain service.[14]

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department operates out of 58 stations.[15]

Rescue Unit 10.

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department was organized on July 4, 1872 in a response to a large fire that occurred twelve years earlier in July 1860.[16] During that interim, there had been an unorganized response, with delays partially due to the American Civil War, but the department became fully salaried in 1885.[17]

Fire Chief Dominique Artis[18] assumed the role in December 2018 after his predecessor, FC David Coatney, resigned to become director of Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.[19]

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department was involved in the creation of Urban Search and Rescue team Texas Task Force 2,[20] abbreviated TX-TF2, to function as one of two state urban search and rescue (USAR) teams in the State of Texas.[21] It is managed by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service and headquartered in Dallas.[22]

Notable incidents that the DFRD members of Texas Task Force 2 have responded to, have included the West Fertilizer Company explosion, Hurricane Dolly (2008), Hurricane Ike,[23] and Hurricane Harvey.[24][25]

Dallas Fire-Rescue operates out of 58 stations, with a 59th under construction. DFRD operates Spartan and is currently switching over to Pierce. Station 19 has been demolished and the units operate out of the training and maintenance center close by. Station 30 is closed due to structural issues and the units operate out of station 35. Station 41 has been demolished due to tornado damage and its units operate out of stations 2, 27, and a small shed on the original property. [26]

• Golden Pheasant Fire – February 16, 1964 – resulted in four line of duty deaths[28]
• 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers – resulted in the deaths of five Dallas Police Department officers[29]

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department has unfortunately suffered a number of Line of Duty Deaths (LODD) during the course of its operational history.[30][28] The department has a memorial to their fallen members at the department museum, but also maintains an interactive list that explores the individual's lives and the events that led to their line of duty death.[31]

• Texas Task Force 1
• Texas Task Force 2
• Dallas Fire Station No. 16
• Urban Search and Rescue
• FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force

• Official website