The Nashville Fire Department (NFD) provides fire

Fire

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....

 and emergency medical service to Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

-Davidson County

Davidson County, Tennessee

Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...

, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

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History

The fire department started in May 1807 as a volunteer fire service and became a paid organization on July 24, 1860 with John S. Dashiell as the first chief. Nashville's first motorized fire engine was put into service in 1912. The department currently has thirty-nine stations. In 1974, the Emergency Medical Services Division was added. Until that time, the fire department put out fires and ambulances were provided by funeral homes. All firefighters are now cross trained as EMT's and Paramedics.