The City of Lancaster Fire and Rescue was established April 1st 1882 when it opened four stations across the city with paid firefighters. Today, the department still operates four stations. As this is being typed, Station 1 which opened in 1965 is being torn down to make way for a new and larger station at the same location. The apparatus from that station have been relocated to other quarters including a station in nearby Manheim Twp. Once the new station 1 is completed and opened, work will begin on tearing down and rebuilding a new Station 2 at it's current location at 333 E. King St.

Today the Lancaster City Bureau of Fire operates with 74 career firefighter, 3 Battalion Chiefs, a Chief and a fire marshal division. In 2019, the department answered 3,970 calls for service throughout the city with a population of about 60,000 residents. The cities total population grows tremendously, when including employees that work within the cities many business, restaurants and high occupancy buildings such as Thaddeus Stevens College, Lancaster County Prison, a Atlantic League Professional Baseball stadium,and Lancaster General Hospital.

To assist the firefighters within all 7 square miles of the "Red Rose City" the current apparatus fleet consists of 5 engines, and 2 ladders, and a utility. Currently, the department has placed an order for a Pierce Arrow XT -95' mid-mount tower that will have a refurbished Aerialscope aerial placed onto it to replace a 1997 Quint (Ladder 1). This piece is expected to arrive later this coming fall.

A special thanks to Chief Little for his assistance with this article.