Lincoln Fire and Rescue: Desire to serve, ability to perform, courage to act

Lincoln’s fire service began in 1872 when about 50 men banded together to protect the City. A citizens’ petition led to the creation of a full-time paid Fire Department in 1885. Today, Lincoln Fire and Rescue (LF&R) has 294 employees, including 220 Firefighters/Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and 60 Firefighter/Paramedics. The department’s mission is to provide the highest level of life and property safety to Lincoln residents through fire prevention, fire control, emergency medical services and public education. The department was one of the first in the world to receive accreditation in 1997, and it has retained that status ever since. In 2006, LF&R had 18, 362 calls for service, and almost 72 percent of those were for medical emergencies and about 12 percent were for fires.

Over the past 15 years, the City of Lincoln has grown 22 percent in population and 33 percent in size. Over the same time period, the number of LF&R employees funded by general tax revenue has increased only 3.4 percent, from 252 to 261.

Since the department started ambulance service in 2001, the department has added 29 employees paid from the ambulance enterprise fund, not tax dollars. In 2004, four employees were added to support the federally funded FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) program.

Captain Jeff Gottbreht works at the scene of a fire.

The department’s annual operating budget for the current fiscal year is $23.7 million. About $19.1 million is from general tax fund revenue. Ambulance user fees make up about $3.7 million, and the FEMA US&R program makes up about $900,000.

If the average household received a bill for fire services paid from general fund revenue, the bill would be about $15.14 a month. Here’s how it breaks down.

Emergency Services
Monthly cost per household - $14.10

Firefighting services account for more than 93 percent of the budget. To be the most cost effective, firefighters are cross-trained to respond to fire, rescue and medical emergencies as well as hazardous materials incidents. These same firefighters conduct fire prevention activities as part of an annual inspection of commercial and business properties. They also provide fire safety education for at-risk members of the community, including children and handicapped and elderly residents. LF&R has made a major effort to distribute smoke detectors in the community using grant funds and donations.

Each of the 14 stations houses one fire engine. Four stations also have an aerial ladder truck. Four people are assigned to each of these 18 vehicles: a Captain, a Fire Apparatus Operator, a Firefighter/Paramedic and a Firefighter. Five of the 14 stations also house an ambulance staffed with one Firefighter/Paramedic and one Firefighter/EMT.

One station is the base for the hazardous materials response vehicle and air resupply unit.

Administrative Division
Monthly cost per household - 54 cents

The Administrative Division, which accounts for 3.6 percent of the budget, includes payroll and personnel records, budget, policies and procedures, facilities construction/renovation and special projects.

Maintenance Division
Monthly cost per household - 32 cents

The Maintenance Division, which accounts for 2.1 percent of the budget, is responsible for repair and maintenance of department vehicles and equipment.

Training Division
Monthly cost per household - 18 cents

The Training Division, which accounts for 1.2 percent of the budget, is responsible for training, Firefighter apprenticeship programs and all phases of continuing education.

Urban Search & Rescue
No local taxes fund used.

US&R is a federally financed operation based in Lincoln at LF&R. The value of the current FEMA US&R equipment is more than $4.3 million. This equipment is kept in a constant state of readiness to respond to national disasters. The department’s agreement with FEMA allows LF&R to use this equipment for training, and if there were a local disaster, the equipment would be readily available to our community. The US&R task force has about 185 members, which includes 125 LF&R employees. Each receives about 40 hours of annual training funded by the program.

The task force first served in the aftermath of Hurricane Emily in 1993, and its most recent activations were two deployments for Hurricane Katrina. Its 15 deployments include the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks in 2001, the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002 and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.

Ambulance Transport Services
Funded with user fees

Five ambulances are staffed daily for emergency response. An additional six ambulances are available for standby duty and peak times when the regular units are already responding to medical calls. City ordinance requires that in cases of a life-threatening medical emergency, an LF&R ambulance must arrive on scene in 8 minutes or less at least 90 percent of the time. Each of the five front line ambulances is staffed with at least one Firefighter/Paramedic and one Firefighter/EMT.

For more information on the services of LF&R, visit the City Web site at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: fire) or click here.

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