MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Philadelphia Fire Department marks 150 years of dedicated service
WHO: Mayor Jim Kenney
Fire Commissioner Adam K. Thiel
Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corp. President Eugene Janda
WHEN: Monday, March 15 at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Fireman’s Hall Museum, 147 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Fire Department kicks off its 150th anniversary celebration on March 15, 2021 with a ceremony at Fireman’s Hall Museum. The event, which will be live-streamed on the PFD’s Twitter account, will include the first donations to a planned time capsule and a cake-cutting. Additional commemorations will be held throughout the sesquicentennial.
Background: The PFD officially began its dedicated service as a paid, professional city agency on March 15, 1871 with 355 men staffing 22 engine companies and 5 truck (ladder) companies.
- Today, the department has 60 engine companies, 27 ladder companies and 60 ambulances housed in 63 stations across the city.
- Overall, the PFD now has more than 3,000 dedicated men and women serving as firefighters, EMS providers, dispatchers and in other essential roles to respond to emergencies 24x7x365 in the nation’s sixth-largest city.
- Read more on our website and on the website for Fireman’s Hall.