Miami Dade Fire Station 19
650 NW 131 Street
North Miami, Florida 33168.
(North Miami West)
Introduction to the North Miami Fire Department
In the 1990's Station 19 was designated one of three County stations to have technical rescue capabilities.
Technical Rescue Team (TRT) certified personnel, are emergency medical response firefighters who are specially trained in the treatment and removal of victims trapped in complex or confined spaces, such as collapsed structures and vehicles with extreme collision damage. All MDFR frontline units carry basic TRT equipment, such as the Jaws of Life and other hydraulic rescue tools, but several units strategically located throughout Miami-Dade are specially designated TRT units, outfitted with highly specialized technical rescue equipment and staffed with crew members certified in technical rescue response.
Today’s Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department (MDFR) originally began in 1935 as a "fire patrol" consisting of only one employee and one truck under the direction of the Agriculture Department. But this patrol grew rapidly and, by 1957, it encompassed 51 employees, 10 stations and 12 pieces of apparatus.
In 1958 the fire patrol became a division of the Dade County Public Safety Department, and two years later the inaugural class of 15 firefighters graduated from the new fire college.
The department's growth has been a reflection of its numerous mergers with municipal departments and Dade County's continuous population expansion over the years. In 1965 the Metropolitan Dade County Fire Department (MDFD) was created. A medical rescue service program was implemented in 1973, adding the word Rescue to the department's name. The department's lime green color was seen on response vehicles the following year.
Fire and rescue units responded to more than 225,000 calls for assistance annually, approximately 80 percent of which originate as medical rescue calls. With nearly 2,500 employees located at 68 fire rescue stations and several administrative facilities, this department provides service to unincorporated Miami-Dade County and 28 municipalities, including a resident population of more than 1.6 million distributed over approximately 1,900 square miles.
The territory covered by MDFR is divided into Three Operations Divisions and a Special Operations Division, which are divided into 14 Battalions. Along with suppression and EMS capabilities, MDFR has the ability to transport patients to area trauma hospitals via Air Rescue's two trauma helicopters. The department also has a Marine Services Bureau responding to incidents requiring their expertise in the many waterways throughout our county.
MDFR maintains an entire Division at Miami International Airport, which also oversees Aviation Firefighting at Kendall Tamiami Airport and Opa Locka Airport. Our Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) has responded to natural disasters throughout the world, as well as the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City and the tragic attacks at the Pentagon and World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The USAR Team includes K-9 units trained to find people trapped in collapsed buildings and specialized equipment. Our Technical Rescue Team members are experts in vehicle extrication, confined space rescue and rope rescue. Our Hazardous Material Bureau responds to incidents of toxic releases and chemical spills and works closely with both the Office of Emergency Management and Miami International Airport, training professionals in the control and proper response to HazMat incidents. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has launched a progam called MERT - Motorcycle Emergency Response Team. These first-responder units are able to arrive quickly at a scene, assess the situation, administer medical care and assist other MDFR crews. The department maintains a mobile command vehicle for large-scale incident response and other specialized apparatus, including two 3,000-gallon tankers.
The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department is dedicated to providing the best possible service to the residents and visitors of Miami-Dade County. To help achieve this, MDFR provides its employees with the latest training using the most up-to-date equipment and apparatus available. This unending commitment to our customers exemplifies our motto, "ALWAYS READY, PROUD TO SERVE."
Introduction to the Miami Dade Fire Department
Fire service in North Miami began in 1948 with two paid firemen and ten volunteers. In 1949 the Department had three paid firemen. The firemen and volunteers renovated the old City Motor Pool Garage and moved into the well-known station "under the water tank" late in the year.
1950 brought about the inauguration of Civil Service for the Fire and Police Departments, and five additional men were added for a total of eight full-time firemen.
The second fire station was constructed at NW 121 st and 11 ave. By 1953 the Fire Department had grown to 15 officers and men.
In 1954 the Bureau of Fire Prevention was organized and set in motion.
Early in 1955 the department received delivery of the Rescue Truck. In preparation for this important service , a number of men were sent to work with the Miami Rescue Personnel for training in the field. This increase in service led to two more men added to the department personnel.
The department continued to improve and expand. Six new men were added in 1956 and with them came a department training section to school new manpower and to keep department personnel up to date on new firefighting procedures.
1957 was a year of great progress marred by tragedy. Ten men were added to the department, bringing the total complement to 33 men , 3 pumpers, 1 rescue truck and an efficient Fire Prevention Bureau. There was an addition of a clerk typist that greatly added to the administrative efficiency of the Department.
On July 25th, on a routine fire run, tragedy struck without warning. Chief Goyer was killed instantly when he came in contact with high tension power lines. His death was a tremendous shock to the Department, City and the Fire Service.
Captain Gosselin was appointed Acting Chief until the regular appointment of Captain Wagner to the Fire Chief's position in October.
Ground was broken for the new central fire station in October (which became Station 18 with the merger)
On August 17, 1969 the City of North Miami asked Dade County to take over its fire department. The merger was approved and on October 1st, 1969 the County gained 42 firemen and three fire stations. North Miami Fire Station 2 became Metro Dade Fire Station 19
Later through a referendum the citizens changed the name of Dade County to Miami Dade County. Hence the Miami Dade County Fire Station 19.
Dix-Neuf
FF C. Zargo & FF R. Chung WTC Photo: 9/18/2001
Fire Boat 1 @ 8000 GPM
Fire Boat 1 @ 42 Knotts
Fire Boat 1 & 2 @ Haulover Marina
Miami-Dade firehouse is smokin'!
It's busiest in North America!
Basking in what might be described as a blaze of glory, a Miami-Dade fire station has been declared North America's busiest.
BY JOSE PAGLIERY
JPAGLIERY@MIAMIHERALD.COM
The firefighters who hop every day into the lime green truck at Miami-Dade County's Station 19 were the busiest in North America last year.
According to Firehouse magazine, which listed the fire stations in North America that responded to the most calls in 2008, the station at 650 NW 131st St. beat all others by a long shot.
Firefighters at the station responded to 5,328 emergency calls last year, an average of one call every hour and a half -- all day, every day. Those calls included house fires, medical emergencies and traffic accidents.
``If you're a person who really enjoys the job, 19 is the station where you want to be,'' said firefighter Stephen Martell.
The second-busiest station -- in Chicago -- was 600 calls behind.
But having the busiest fire station on the continent wasn't a complete surprise. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is the seventh-largest department in the country. It responded to 233,080 emergency calls last year, making it the eighth-busiest department in North America.
And some calls don't even come from within the United States.
The county's venom response team was consulted in May by U.S. military officials when an Iraqi corrections officer was bitten by the deadly, black-colored desert cobra in southern Iraq. The officer survived.
Walker, Chung, Artanis, Loo, Reyes, Kaplan, Garcia
Garcia on camera
Alumni & PIO Piedrahita press release
Kaplan, Chung, Artanis
See Win a Prize! in the Feature page...
