The Dedicated Men and Women of the WFD and Local 866

All of our members are full-time employees of the City of Waltham. Most are professional firefighters and some are 911 dispatchers. Together, they provide fire protection, rescue and emergency medical services 24 hours a day - every day - to Waltham residents, businesses and visitors.

STAFFING Members of Local 866 staff Waltham's 10 firefighting companies based at six stations strategically located throughout the city. With these 10 fire suppression companies, the Waltham Fire Department is able to respond anywhere in the city within 3-5 minutes - if not sooner - on almost every call. Each fire engine or truck meets NFPA standards and rides with a crew of at least three firefighters. This level of staffing is critical for the safety of firefighters - allowing one to operate the vehicle at a fire scene while the other two members can enter a burning building as a team. 175 Lexington St. Central Station Engine 2 Rescue 6 Ladder Tower 1 Willow Street Engine 3 Prospect Street Engine 4 Moody Street Shift Commander C2 Engine 1 Squad 5 Ladder 2 Lake Street Engine 7 Trapelo Road Engine 8

EQUIPMENT

Every Waltham Fire Department Company also carries a thermal imaging camera to help locate victims or firefighters trapped in burning buildings.

This technology essentially gives firefighters "vision" to see through the smoke that would otherwise obscure their eyesight.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS)

All of our fire apparatus are also equipped with cardiac defibilators, oxygen and other medical equipment to assist those in need of CPR or other emergency medical attention.

All of our firefighters are certified medical first responders and trained to use the defibilator.

Many are Massachusetts Licensed Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and some even hold Paramedic certifications.

PREVENTION & EDUCATION

Additionally, four of our members staff the Department's Fire Prevention Bureau.

They help the city by enforcing safety laws, codes and regulations.

They also run a fire and life safety education program that reaches many people, including every student in grades K-3 at both public and private schools in Waltham.

TRAINING

One Local 866 member, a Deputy Chief, runs the WFD Training Division.

He ensures that our firefighters receive the latest educational updates on equipment, tactics and procedures needed to protect lives and property here in Waltham and surrounding communities.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Beyond our regular Fire Engine, Rescue and Ladder trucks, the Waltham Fire Department also operates several special vehicles.

These include rescue boats, ice sleds, a communications van for incidents in the Greater Boston-Metro Fire District and trailers for water protection and decontamination.

Click here to learn more about each unit.