City of Hamilton, Ohio - Fire Department

Hamilton Fire Dept.
77 Pershing Avenue
Hamilton, OH 45011
Tel: 513.785.7501
Fax: 513.867.7321

The on-duty fire force is divided into three shifts, each working a 24-hour shift. A Deputy Chief commands each shift.

Paul New	Larry Gassert	Steve Dawson

A-Shift Commander	B-Shift Commander	C-Shift Commander

In 2007, the Hamilton Fire Department responded to 10,687 incidents.

Fire Suppression

Firefighting within the City of Hamilton is performed utilizing engine companies, quint/engine companies and a truck company. Along with fire suppression duties, fire company responsibilities include emergency medical calls, training, territory familiarization, and inspections of businesses, fire education, and general maintenance of fire apparatus, fire stations, grounds, and equipment. The minimum daily staffing level is 28 firefighters and officers. The city is protected by 6 fire stations, which utilize 4 engines, 2 quint/engines, 1 truck, and 3 paramedic units.

Emergency Medical

The Hamilton Fire Department provides Emergency Medical Services within the City of Hamilton. The fire department assumed emergency medical duties in 1950 and became the first city in Butler County to provide paramedic services in 1978.

The department requires all fire personnel to be at minimum an Emergency Medical Technician – Basic and all those hired after November 5, 2002 must become Emergency Medical Technician – Paramedic. Currently, the fire department’s compliment of 113 firefighters includes 69 paramedics.

Hamilton’s 3 Paramedic Units responded to 8,292 medical emergencies in 2006.

Hazardous Materials

The Hamilton Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Team became operational in 1987. In 1991 Hamilton entered into a Hazardous Material Response agreement with Butler County, Ohio. This formed the Butler County Hazardous Materials Response Cooperative. Hazardous Materials Teams from Hamilton, Middletown, and West Chester cover all of Butler County. The formation of the cooperative is a tremendous governmental accomplishment. Today the response teams train together to learn to operate as one unit.

The Hazardous Materials Team is housed at Fire Station 5 and responds to emergencies involving poisons, acids, oxidizers, compressed gases, flammable liquids, and train derailments.

River/Ice Rescue

Hamilton firefighters received training in the area of river rescue. This training was conducted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Hamilton is split in half by the Great Miami River. Within the city limits the river contains 2 extremely dangerous low head dams. Over the years, these drowning machines have been the sites of many accidents, one leading to an expose on television’s Rescue 911.

The River Rescue/Ice Rescue Team is housed at Fire Station 2. This team provides technician level emergency response to water related emergencies with our city including surface water rescue, swift-water rescue, ice rescue, and support for recovery operations.

Rope/Confined Space Rescue

The rope rescue and confined space rescue team consists of several highly trained firefighters who provide technician level emergency response from high angle atmospheres to confined space entrapments/emergencies.

This unit is housed at Station 2.