Fire

The Operations Division, under the direction of a Deputy Chief, includes Fire Suppression, Special Operations, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Training, and Emergency Management.

Fire Suppression is the largest section within the Oklahoma City Fire Department and consists of 877 uniformed Firefighters. These are the crews that make up the city's fire companies which respond to roughly 90,000 calls per year. They may handle fires, rescues, hazardous materials incidents, medical emergencies, and other situations.

Fire Training is the massive effort which includes basic training for new hires through a 16-week Fire Recruit Academy, officer development training, and various specialized training modules including vehicle extrication, live fire training, and emergency vehicle operations.

Special Operations is the work section that encompasses those individuals who go beyond the normal training regimen of a Firefighter and diversify their training to meet the challenges of specific rescue environments. Special Operations consists of our Water Rescue Team, Hazardous Materials Response Team, and Search and Rescue Teams.

Emergency Medical Services is the work section responsible for all training, equipment, and quality assurance in regards to the emergency medical services we provide. Approximately 70% of our responses are emergency medical calls of some sort. Oklahoma City fire stations are classified as having Advanced Life Support capabilities, which means a licensed Paramedic and appropriate supplies are on board. Plans are in place to add more ALS Engines in the future.

Emergency Management focuses on the pillars of Preparedness, Prevention, Response, and Recovery to disasters. Emergency Management is a multi-faceted discipline with emphasis on an all-hazards awareness, community resilience, in-depth planning, and exercise design to ensure that numerous organizations, entities, and NGO’s will work well together should a natural or man-made disaster occur.

The Support Services Division is under the direction of a Deputy Chief. Support Services personnel are a combination of uniformed and civilian personnel who often work behind the scenes to support the operations of the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

Fire Dispatch is responsible for receiving and processing emergency 911 calls and dispatching appropriate resources. Dispatchers continually monitor all active incidents, work with numerous outside agencies, and answer non-emergency calls

Facilities Maintenance is responsible for coordinating the general overall maintenance of 36 Fire Stations and nine other Oklahoma City Fire Department work sites. This work section also assists with planning and construction for new fire stations.

Fleet Maintenance maintains our current fleet of apparatus. In addition, they are responsible for determining specifications for new apparatus, ordering new fire apparatus, maintenance of breathing apparatus equipment for firefighting, and maintenance and ordering of all tools and equipment for fire apparatus.

Fire Information Technology works to ensure our department stays on the cutting edge of technology with new hardware and software applications.

Human Resources is responsible for preparing payroll, formulating promotional exams, and assisting firefighters with the retirement process. In addition, Human Resources facilitates the hiring process for new firefighters.

Fire Prevention consists of three work sections which all work together to prevent fires and accidents from occurring. Fire Prevention is under the direction of a Deputy Chief who is the Fire Marshal for the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

Code Enforcement works hard to ensure that existing businesses are in compliance with applicable fire codes. They are very involved with new construction projects for the same purpose. This work section also performs a variety of inspections required by the currently adopted fire code.

Public Education is the work section responsible for taking fire and life safety messages directly to the public. These individuals have population-specific programs for the young, the elderly, and everyone in between.

Fire Investigation exists to determine the cause of fires. This information is extremely beneficial to spawn the creation of new fire codes that may be needed and to identify when there may be a trend that needs to be addressed through a Public Education program. The results of an investigation could also determine if arson was the cause.

Administration is under the direction of the Fire Chief. Administration is comprised of Administrative Services, Safety, and Public Information.

Administrative Services is responsible for providing administrative support, staff management, and centralized budget management. Administrative Services prepares, implements, and monitors the operating and capital budgets along with the management of Purchasing, Contract Administration, and Grants Management.

Safety is responsible for keeping Department personnel safe and healthy. The major functions of this work section are supervising and coordinating the safety and health and risk management activities of the Fire Department.

Public Relations & Marketing serves as the primary conduit through which information coming from the Oklahoma City Fire Department flows. Public Relations & Marketing is responsible for coordinating all activities involving the media, maintaining social media sites, maintaining the website for the fire department, and marketing special events.