Columbus Division of Fire
Fire department of Columbus, Ohio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Columbus Division of Fire (CFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to Columbus, Ohio.[4]
 | |
| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| City | Columbus |
| Address | 3639 Parsons Avenue |
| Agency overview | |
| Established | 1822 |
| Employees | Over 1,700 firefighters and nearly 100 civilian employees[1] |
| Annual budget | $336.2 million, Fire general fund proposed budget, 2025[1] |
| Fire chief | Dave Baugh (interim)[2] |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Battalions | 7 |
| Stations | 36[3] |
| Website | |
| www | |
The department operates 36 stations; the newest, Station 36, opened in June 2026.[3] The stations are divided into seven battalions.[5] The Columbus Division of Fire reported 35 engine companies, 16 ladder companies, 5 rescue companies, and 40 EMS transport vehicles, as well as several special units and reserve apparatus, in 2018. It was staffed by a minimum of 292 personnel during daytime hours (first 12 hours) and 331 during nighttime hours (second 12 hours).[6] The department also reported 39 medic companies in 2018.[5] The city's 2025 budget stated that the division had more than 1,700 firefighters and nearly 100 civilian employees.[1]
The department is accredited by the Committee on Fire Accreditation International, which granted accreditation on February 7, 2007. At the time, it was the second-largest fire department in the United States to receive the accreditation.[7]
The Division of Fire was created in 1822; at that time it was officially named the Columbus Fire Department.[8]
Stations
In use
The city lists fire stations by station number, name, and address.[9]
| Station | Name | Address |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 9 | Union Station Engine House | 300 N. Fourth Street |
| 2 | John W. Nance Fire Station | 150 E. Fulton Street |
| 3 | Mitchell J. Brown Fire Station | 222 Greenlawn Avenue |
| 4 | Berwick Fire Station | 3030 Winchester Pike |
| 5 | Olde Orchard Fire Station | 211 McNaughten Road |
| 6 | Sharon Woods Fire Station | 5750 Maple Canyon Drive |
| 7 | Buckeye Fire Station | 1425 Indianola Avenue |
| 8 | Battalion Chief Herman Harrison Fire Station | 1240 E. Long Street |
| 10 | Franklinton Engine House | 1096 W. Broad Street |
| 11 | Don Scott Fire Station | 2200 W. Case Road |
| 12 | Lieutenant Frank D. Grashel Fire Station | 3200 Sullivant Avenue |
| 13 | Olde North Columbus Fire Station | 309 Arcadia Avenue |
| 14 | North Graceland Engine House | 1716 Parsons Avenue |
| 15 | Driving Park Fire Station | 1800 E. Livingston Avenue |
| 16 | Mock Orchard Fire Station | 1465 Oakland Park Avenue |
| 17 | Hilltop Engine House | 2300 W. Broad Street |
| 18 | Herbert F. Turner South Linden Fire Station | 1630 Cleveland Avenue |
| 19 | Lieutenant Jerry Kuhn Northmoor Engine House | 3601 N. High Street |
| 20 | Captain Pleasant Higgenbotham Fire Station | 2646 E. Fifth Avenue |
| 21 | Eastmoor Fire Station | 3294 E. Main Street |
| 22 | Lieutenant Jack Russ Southgate Fire Station | 3069 Parsons Avenue |
| 23 | Big Walnut Fire Station | 4451 E. Livingston Avenue |
| 24 | Northland Area Fire Station | 1585 Morse Road |
| 25 | Henry "Hank" Gowdy Fire Station | 739 W. 3rd Avenue |
| 26 | Hoffman Farms Fire Station | 5433 Fisher Road |
| 27 | Great Northwest Fire Station | 7560 Smokey Row Road |
| 28 | Steltzer Ridge Fire Station | 3240 McCutcheon Road |
| 29 | Little Turtle Fire Station | 5151 Little Turtle Way |
| 30 | Wyandotte Fire Station | 3555 Fishinger Boulevard |
| 31 | Bolton Field Fire Station | 5303 Alkire Road |
| 32 | Refugee Tract Fire Station | 3675 Gender Road |
| 33 | County Line Fire Station | 440 Lazelle Road |
| 34 | Station 34 | 5201 Wilcox Road |
| 35 | Blacklick Express Fire Station | 711 N. Waggoner Road |
| 36 | Station 36 | 5785 Central College Road[3] |
Out of use
Columbus has numerous historic fire station buildings that are still extant, repurposed for other uses. Stations built in the 1880s to 1890s include:[10]
- Engine House No. 5, built in 1894
- Engine House No. 6, built in 1892
- Engine House No. 7, built in 1888
- Engine House No. 8, built in 1888
- Engine House No. 10, built in 1897
- Engine House No. 11, built in 1897
- Engine House No. 12, built in 1897
Other former stations include:[11]
- Engine House No. 14 (at 1716 Parsons Ave.)
- Engine House No. 16, built in 1908 (today the Central Ohio Fire Museum)
- Engine House No. 17 (at 2300 W. Broad St.)
- Engine House No. 18, built in 1926 (at 1551 Cleveland Ave.)
See also
- Government of Columbus, Ohio
- Station 67, headquarters for Columbus Firefighters Local 67
Further reading
- Throckmorton Jr., Robert, ed. (1976). Columbus, Ohio Division of Fire: 1822-1976. Columbus, Ohio Division of Fire Historical Committee, Walsworth Publishing Company. OCLC 2809386.
- Columbus Division of Fire 200th Anniversary Yearbook. Acclaim Press. 2022. ISBN 978-1-948901-96-3. LCCN 2022943390.
