Worcester Fire Department

Fire department in Massachusetts, USA

Worcester Fire Department

Operational area
Country|  United States
State|  Massachusetts
City|  Worcester
Agency overview[1]
Established| 25 February 1835 (1835-02-25)
Employees| 424 (2013)
Annual budget| $33,940,872 (2013)
Staffing| Career
Fire chief| Michael Lavoie
EMS level| BLS
IAFF| 1009
Facilities and equipment[2][3]
Divisions| 2
Stations| 10
Engines| 13
Trucks| 5
Tillers| 2
Rescues| 1
HAZMAT| 1
Rescue boats| 1
Website
Official website
IAFF website

The Worcester Fire Department (WFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts.[4] The department serves an area of 39 square miles (100 km2) with a population of 183,000 residents.[4]

## Notable incidents

[edit]

### Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire

[edit]

Main article: Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire

On December 3, 1999, six firefighters were killed at the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire.[5] The fire occurred at 6:13 p.m. in an abandoned cold storage warehouse at Box 1438, 266 Franklin Street. Six Worcester firefighters died while looking for two homeless victims thought to be trapped in the blaze.[6] The fire went to five alarms and took six days to bring under control. Those killed were:

* Lieutenant Thomas Spencer, 42, Ladder 2
* Firefighter Paul Brotherton, 41, Rescue 1
* Firefighter Jeremiah Lucey, 38, Rescue 1
* Firefighter Timothy Jackson, 51, Ladder 2
* Firefighter James Lyons, 34, Engine 3
* Firefighter Joseph McGuirk, 38, Engine 3

Services for the firefighters were held in the DCU Center (then called Worcester's Centrum Centre). The funeral procession was broadcast on several national news networks and was attended by President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator John Kerry (who flew non-stop from Burma, where he had been attending a diplomatic function).[7] Also in the procession were firefighters from around the United States, Canada, and from Dublin, Ireland.[8]

Because his cousin, FF. Lucey, and high school friend, Lt. Spencer were killed in the fire, actor/comedian Denis Leary, a Worcester native, started the Leary Firefighters Foundation in 2000 to give aid and support to many fire departments, particularly those suffering from budget shortfalls by providing them with new equipment.[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ O’Brien, Michael. "Fiscal 2013 Annual Budget" (PDF). City or Worcester. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
2. ^ "Stations". Worcester Fire Department. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
3. ^ "Stations". IAFF 1009. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
4. ^ a b "About". Worcester MA Fire Department. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
5. ^ McDowell, Thomas. "Six Career Fire Fighters Killed in Cold-Storage and Warehouse Building Fire - Massachusetts". Division of Respiratory Disease Studies. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
6. ^ "Abandoned Cold Storage Warehouse MultiFirefighter Fatality Fire" (PDF). FEMA. Homeland Security. December 1999. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
7. ^ Jarvey, Paul (December 9, 1999). "Words are not enough". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
8. ^ Astell, Emilie; Shaun Sutner (December 8, 1999). "From president to residents, 25,000 expected at tribute". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on July 30, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
9. ^ "Foundation History". The Leary Firefighters Foundation. Retrieved January 6, 2014.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Firefighting in Worcester, Massachusetts.

* Official Website
* IAFF Local 1009 - Worcester Firefighter's Union
* Worcester 6 Memorial Website
* Box 4 Special Services Canteen Association

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City of Worcester

Nickname(s): The City of the Seven Hills, The Heart of the Commonwealth, Wormtown, Woo-town, The Woo

Topics|

* Media
* Public art
* Sports
* Airport
* City Hall and Common
* Tallest buildings

Education|

Higher education
Assumption College
Becker College
Clark University
College of the Holy Cross
MCPHS
Quinsigamond Community College
UMass Medical School
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester State University

See also: Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts

K-12 education
Worcester Public Schools
Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School
Bancroft School
Mass Academy of Math and Science
Worcester Academy

Government|

* Fire
* Mayors
* Transit Authority

History|

* Historic places (eastern, northwestern, southwestern)
* List of mayors
* Notable residents
* Timeline
* Worcester firsts
* 1953 Worcester tornado
* 2021 Saint Vincent Hospital strike

Museums|

* American Antiquarian Society
* EcoTarium
* Higgins Armory Museum
* Worcester Art Museum
* Worcester Historical Museum

Sports teams|

Current
Massachusetts Pirates
Worcester Bravehearts
Worcester Railers
Worcester Red Sox

Former
Worcester Blades
Worcester IceCats
Worcester Sharks
Worcester Tornadoes
Worcester Warriors

* Worcester County
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Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

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