Charlotte Fire Department

Number of Apparatus: 96 including Reserve Apparatus

Pumpers: 44 Aerials: 16

Specialty: 9

Do you provide EMS? Yes What type: BLS ALS FR

Specialty Operations: Dive, HazMat, USAR, Trench, Confined Space, Technical Rescuer

Annual  Budget: $137million

Area Covered Square miles: 300 Square Miles

Population: 872,500

Total Runs: FY19 130, 129

Fire: 32% EMS: 68%

Chief: Reginald T. Johnson

Chief Officers: Deputy Chief of Operations Samuel Jones, Deputy Chief of Business Administration Cynthia Bonham, Deputy Chief of Personnel Administration Jerry Winkles

Other Officers: Battalion Chief – 38, Captain – 246

Number of Members: 1209

Paid: 1209 Volunteer: 0

Address: 500 Dalton Avenue, Charlotte NC 28206

Website: www.charlottefire.org Phone: 704.336.4174

Community Outreach: Community outreach is accomplished at all levels of Charlotte Fire Department. Our individual fire companies will attend community service events as requested or directed through the Chain of Command. The Office of Public Information and Community Engagement has four full time Fire and Life Safety Educators. These educators deliver a curriculum relevant program to each third grade classroom in the City of Charlotte. They also deliver programs to the middle schools as well as some high schools. CFD maintains a Juvenile Fire Setters Program that deals with youth that have been involved with setting a fire or determined to be a potential high risk to set fires. CFD also has outreach opportunities that involve the entire department. Examples of these opportunities going to agencies like Second Harvest Food Bank and assisting, collecting coats for Operation Warm, and Reading Buddies with CMS Schools working with classrooms to show youth the importance of literacy.

Top Two concerns in your community:

1. COIVD-19 — Without a definitive end, the COVID-19 emergency could stress our staffing levels. CFD has been fortunate to have enough PPE to keep our members safe which translates into minimum exposures and time away from work. The majority of employees that have been impacted by COVID-19 has come from exposures while away from work.
2. Civil Unrest — In the current social climate, tensions are high, and members of the community have been exercising their constitutional rights with protests. As some of those demonstrations become more agitated, there is more demand for personnel to staff positions within CMPD Civil Emergency Unit. CFD members work with CMPD to provide fire support during periods of civil unrest. These companies are equipped to handle fire as a weapon incident. They will also provide decon services to officers that become exposed to biohazards. The CFD Companies will provide EMS care to injured officers; as well as, any protestor that ends up behind skirmish lines.
3.  Keeping up with the growth of the City of Charlotte. With the rapid growth of the city there are new types of building construction that cause us to change our tactics regarding fire suppression. Concrete core constructed high-rises with lightweight apartments along the exterior is just one example.

What are you doing for fundraising? CFD does not fundraise. We are a municipal department that is supported through the City of Charlotte’s Annual Budget which is funded by taxes from the citizens of Charlotte

What upgrades will you make in your department this year? This year we are adding Fire Station 43 on Clanton Road, adjacent to I-77.

Establishing a Submersible ROV (remotely operated vehicle) Program to minimize the risk to our divers during recovery operations. The ROV has been purchased and personnel are receiving training. The program is scheduled to go into effect 07/01/2020

Looking to purchase mid-mount towers in an effort to diversify our aerial fleet.

What special hazards or unique businesses in your community? CFD takes an All Hazards approach to incident responses. CFD currently responds to fire, manufacturing, industrial, rail, and flooding incidents. CFD must remain at the ready to respond to any incident. We are constantly evaluating our response protocols as well as keeping up with the most relevant training

Currently, we are developing a recruitment strategy that focuses on creating a workforce and organizational culture that is diverse and inclusive. Moreover, we are creating a workforce that will be the most effective and efficient in meeting the needs of our diverse community. We want the best-of- the-best; our recruiting efforts will span across the country, seeking the most talented and passionate people who have a desire to work within the fire service industry.

CFD has recently established a Health and Safety Office. Some of the major accomplishments of Health and Safety has been to ensure each member receives a NFPA 1582 physical. This has already been successful in saving our members’ lives. Another notable accomplishment is that in 2020, CFD now has three Safety Officers that follow our shifts for 24 hours. That ensures there is an additional resource for the IC to utilize. Health and Safety currently has four Captains and one Battalion Chief assigned.

CFD established a K-9 program in 2020. On May 2, 2020, the fire department received their first K-9 Program member, Lady Katherine or “Cat.” K-9 Caring Angels Therapy Dogs, from Manassas, Virginia, donated Lady Katherine, a purebred English Cream Golden Retriever, with professional training and an extremely loving and playful personality.

Lady Katherine’s initial assignment on the department will be to help support community engagement efforts and provide a platform to create new educational opportunities and enhance existing Fire and Life Safety programs within the community. During this time “Cat” and her handler will continue to work to become a certified therapy dog team and provide therapeutic visits to department personnel.