Reading Fire Department

Not to be confused with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The Reading Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Reading, Pennsylvania.^[5] The department is responsible for approximately 10 square miles (26 km²) with a population of just under 100,000 as of the 2020 United States Census Bureau estimate^[update].^[6]

Reading Fire Department

Operational area
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
City	Reading
Agency overview[1][2][3]
Established	March 17, 1773 (1773-03-17)
Annual calls	30,660 (2019)
Employees	137 (2019)
Annual budget	$19,600,000 (2019)
Staffing	Career
Fire chief	James Stoudt Jr.
IAFF	1803
Facilities and equipment[4]
Battalions	1
Stations	7
Engines	5
Tillers	2
Platforms	1
Rescues	1
Ambulances	4
Wildland	1
Rescue boats	1
Website
Official website

History

The Reading Fire Department was formed on March 17, 1773, as a volunteer fire department known as the Rainbow Volunteer Fire Company.^[7] By 1914 the department had grown to include 14 separate volunteer companies. Today, the department operates out of 7 fire stations, including 1 EMS Station.

Beginning in April 2011 Engines 13 and 14 were disbanded due to budget cuts.^[8] Starting June 30, 2015 the city will also be disbanding its non-emergency transport division which had been available to assist in transporting those confined to a wheeled chair.^[9]

As of January 1, 2016, the department is now a fully career department.^{[citation needed]}

As of February 12, 2020 the volunteer SCUBA team has been disbanded.

Stations and apparatus

As of October 2019^[update], below is a complete list of the stations and apparatus. Staffing is only two (2) firefighters per apparatus.^[4]

Engine Company	Ladder Company	Special Unit	Spare/ Reserve Unit	Chief Unit	Neighborhood
Engine 1			Engine 6		Center City
Engine 3	Ladder 1(Tiller)	Brush 1	Engine 4	1st Deputy Chief	Central West
Engine 5			Engine 8, Ladder 2(Tiller)		18th Ward
Engine 9	Ladder 3(Tiller)				Northeast
Engine 7		Foam Trailer, MCI (Mass Casualty Incident) Trailer, Rescue Boat(Zodiac)	Engine 10		Northwest
	Tower Ladder 1	Rescue 1	Engine 2	2nd Deputy Chief	South Central
		Medic 1, Medic 2, Medic 3, Medic 4	Medic 5, Medic 6, Medic 7, Medic 8		Center City