Fire and Rescue Emergency Services Division

The Fire and Rescue Emergency Services is the largest division within the Albuquerque Fire Department. Under the direction of a Deputy Chief, the division is tasked with providing the people of Albuquerque with a rapid response to—and control of—a wide-range of emergency situations. Serving in dual roles as both fire fighters and emergency medical technicians, the men and women of the Division are responsible for providing fire suppression and emergency medical services.

Specialized programs within the Division include the Hazardous Materials Response Team , the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force, the Wildland Fire Task Force, the Mounted Search and Rescue Team, and the EMS Bike program.

In addition to carrying out the Department's public safety mission, they also provide a wide range of non-emergency services, including free blood-pressure screening, first-aid and CPR training, and participation in fire and life-safety presentations at schools and community gatherings.

The City of Albuquerque covers a geographic area of more than 181 square miles and has a population of 446,800. The surrounding metropolitan population is in excess of 625,000. The city is protected by a daily, on-duty strength of 148 fire fighters and officers, staffing twenty-one strategically located fire stations . Fire fighters serve the city on twenty-one engine companies, sixteen rescue companies, five ladder companies, and two hazardous materials response units.

Specific first-line engine and ladder companies are complemented by a number of specialized apparatus and equipment, including the department's Incident Command Vehicle, brush trucks and all-terrain vehicles for fighting wildland fires, and specialized equipment for both high-angle and heavy/technical rescue.

The Fire and Rescue Emergency Services Division is comprised of three battalions, each working an alternating schedule of forty-eight-hour shifts. Battalion Commanders manage and supervise the three battalions of the department.

The metropolitan area is divided into four geographic operational districts and one Battalion Commander per battalion is in charge of each district. Commanders are also assigned to the coordination of specific programs such as HazMat, USAR, or wildland fire fighting.

Overall accountability for the department's fire stations is with a Captain assigned to each of the three battalions. Responsibility for specific engine, rescue, ladder, or other emergency response unit belongs to the officer assigned to the apparatus.