The Fire Operations Division provides the community with firefighting services, emergency medical services, emergency rescues, and responses to chemical emergencies. This division is staffed by firefighters who operate three twenty-four-hour work shifts that provide around the clock protection with each shift under the command of an on-duty battalion chief.

Primary Function

The primary function of the BCDPS Fire Operations Division is to respond to fires in an effort to rescue those people who are trapped or endangered by the fire, and then to extinguish the flames. This directly supports the department's goal, which is to protect lives and property.

The basic working unit of the fire service is a fire company.  In Bay City, firefighters operate four engine companies and an aerial company from four fire stations located strategically in the City to provide the best possible response time.

The primary function of the four engine companies is to attack and extinguish fires. Each of these companies operates a fire pumper that is equipped with a 1,250 gallon per minute fire pump, fire hose, and a water tank. The current frontline pumpers each carry one thousand gallons of water. This water allows the company to extinguish small fires without using a fire hydrant, or to make a quick attack on larger fires while another engine supplies water from a fire hydrant.