Tacoma Fire Department

Tacoma Fire Department For more information about TFD, visit https://www.tacoma.gov/tacomafire

This year, Tacoma Fire has responded to several brush and building fires that started with community members burning the...
05/27/2026

This year, Tacoma Fire has responded to several brush and building fires that started with community members burning their weeds. We know you want to remove those unsightly weeds, but we ask that you do it safely and legally.

Burning your weeds is dangerous and creates a serious fire risk. Heat and embers can spread quickly, and fires can smolder underground long after they appear to be out. TFD often responds to weed-burning fires that unexpectedly spark up hours later.

Plus, most outdoor burning is prohibited within Tacoma city limits. Permissible outdoor fires in Tacoma must be contained in a fire pit, fire bowl, chiminea, or campfire-style. Even recreational fires must use clean natural firewood, charcoal, or manufactured fire logs since burning yard waste is illegal.

For more information, visit us here: https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/fire/burn-ban-information/

05/22/2026

As we enter Memorial Day weekend, we hope you’ll take this excellent advice from Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Since this week is National EMS Appreciation Week, looks at the early days of Tacoma Fire’s EMS services.1953 - TFD ad...
05/22/2026

Since this week is National EMS Appreciation Week, looks at the early days of Tacoma Fire’s EMS services.

1953 - TFD added Rescue 1 (aka: the “Bread Wagon”) to its fleet. This allowed TFD to provide emergency medical services and other rescue responses.

1973 - TFD sent 3 firefighters to St Mary's College in California for 2 months to learn about rescue work and first aid so they could teach the rest of the department. This established a more consistent standard for patient care.

1991 - TFD began transporting patients regularly.

Photos:
Lamar Bartell and Jack Wilbert demonstrate Rescue No 1's equipment in front of Station No. 6. (May 1963)

Original crew of Rescue Co. No. 1, left to right: Lamar Bartell, George Hartwick, Sig Asp, Paul McNail, August Goetzka, Ed Corrigan. (May 1963)

Demonstrating how to use a resuscitator. (March 1973)

Rescue rig (1991)

If you're following our ready-in-a-year plan, this month, we think about important documents we will need after a disast...
05/20/2026

If you're following our ready-in-a-year plan, this month, we think about important documents we will need after a disaster. Consider saving digital copies of them on a password-protected hard drive or on a cloud-based server.

Documents to think about:

📃 Vital records: birth, marriage, divorce certificates; adoption, custody papers
🪪 Identification: passport, driver's license, Social Security card, green card, military service
🐕 Pet ownership papers and ID tags
🏠 Housing: lease agreement, mortgage, home equity line of credit, deed
🚙 Vehicle: loan documents, VIN, registration, title
💰 Financial Accounts: checking, savings, debit cards, student loans, alimony, child support, elder care, automatic payments such as gym memberships
📂 Insurance Policies: homeowners, renters, auto, life, flood, appraisals, photos, lists of valuable items
💵 Sources of Income: pay stubs, government benefits, alimony, child support
🗂️ Tax Statements: Federal/state income tax returns, property tax, vehicle tax
📝 Estate Planning: will, trust, power of attorney

The Tacoma Fire Department is proud to present TFD Firefighter Jole Alvarez with the 2026 Albert Nejmeh Memorial Award!T...
05/15/2026

The Tacoma Fire Department is proud to present TFD Firefighter Jole Alvarez with the 2026 Albert Nejmeh Memorial Award!

Today, we gathered at Station 1 to present this honorable award to FF Jole Alvarez. He was recognized for his calm demeanor, exceptional leadership qualities, and the inspiration he provides to his peers. FF Alvarez is known for promoting fun competition that engages his colleagues and encourages them to strive for excellence.

🏆 This annual award was created in honor of FF Albert Nejmeh, and it reflects both personal and professional attributes demonstrated throughout Al’s career at the Tacoma Fire Department. Recipients of this award must demonstrate exceptional mentorship, leadership, service to others, wellness/fitness, team building, TFD involvement, and initiative. This is a peer-nominated award. 🏆

On November 30, 1986, a fire destroyed the garage of a home in the 6300 block of 16th East in Fife. Here, we see Pierce ...
05/07/2026

On November 30, 1986, a fire destroyed the garage of a home in the 6300 block of 16th East in Fife.

Here, we see Pierce County Firefighter Lt. Kevin Tunison tossing the remains of varnish paint cans from a burned shelf inside the garage. The fire started with combustible items placed too close to a space heater. (Remember to keep flammable items at least 3 feet away from heat sources!)

Did you know that the City of Fife has contracted with the Tacoma Fire Department to staff the Fife fire station since 1994? Today, TFD proudly serves the communities of Tacoma, Fife, and Fircrest. For more information about our Fife station, visit Pierce County Fire District 10.

Photo courtesy of Tacoma News Tribune, Image TNT0220F, Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room.

05/06/2026

Have you ever wondered what Tacoma firefighters do when they're not on emergency calls or practicing their skills? Sometimes, they rescue ducklings from storm drains.

On Friday, May 1, TFD's Engine 7 crew overheard a call to animal control to help rescue some ducklings that fell into a storm drain. Since our crew was nearby, they sprang into action. When the crew arrived on scene, they saw a distressed mama duck standing over a storm drain.

In the end, TFD's Engine 7 crew reunited TWELVE little ducklings with their mama.

05/04/2026

In April, your Tacoma Fire Department responded to 3,996 calls. See the breakdown below.

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In March, Tacoma Fire crews responded to:
🔥 182 Fire Calls
🚑 3,169 Medical Calls
👩🏽‍🚒 645 Other Calls
🚒 3,996 Total Calls in March

For this week's , we pulled this unedited article from The Tacoma News Tribune from this day in 1934 for you."Page 14 i...
04/23/2026

For this week's , we pulled this unedited article from The Tacoma News Tribune from this day in 1934 for you.

"Page 14 in Tacoma pictorial history has to do with the fire department. The [first photo] was taken after the memorial day parade in 1887. The photographer posed Alert Company No, 2 in Commerce street north of 9th and the lineup reads as follows:
Captain Charles McAtee, Dave Perry, Jim Cunningham, Frank Keene, Butt Hichat, Pete Stringer, Frank Hopkins, Jack Conley, Charles Russell, Tom Giplet, Jue Zugner, Ed Stane, Charles Lang, and Tom Woods.

"In 1890, or thereabouts, Tacoma purchased two new machines, Ahrens, of which the city was very proud. The [second] picture shows one of them all decorated in front of the Villard hotel on A near 9th. Jesse Ryssell is the driver. A man whose first name was Matt was the fireman. The roses were presented to the Alert Company by Charles T. Uhlman, meat dealer, councilman, political leader and sportsman. The horses were the famous team of blacks, Jake Kilrain and John L. Sullivan."

Image and article courtesy of The News Tribune, Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room. April 23, 1934.

Address

901 Fawcett Avenue
Tacoma, WA
98402

Telephone

+12535915737

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