Country United States County Clark Annual calls 143,263 (2013) | State Nevada Established November 23, 1953 Employees 706 | |
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The Clark County Fire Department (CCFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the unincorporated areas of Clark County, Nevada. The cities of Las Vegas, Boulder City, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Mesquite each have their own fire departments, but emergency management is provided by the county government.
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History
In 1953, Las Vegas was in growing rapidly with a growth from 8,422 residents in 1940 to over 64,000 in 1960. Mean while Clark County had reached population of 127,016. The unprecedented growth created greater need for fire protection. The Clark County Fire Department (CCFD) was formally created on November 23, 1953. The revenues from the towns of Winchester and Paradise provided funds for the construction of the first station.
USAR Task Force
The CCFD is the founding member of Nevada Task Force 1 (NVTF-1), one of 28 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces (USAR-TF) that are prepared to respond to state or federal disasters throughout the United States. The task force team is deployed by FEMA for the rescue of victims of structural collapses due to man-made or natural disasters.
MGM Grand Fire
On November 21, 1980 the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (now Bally's Las Vegas) in Paradise, Nevada suffered a major fire. The fire killed 85 people, most through smoke inhalation. The CCFD was the first agency to respond, and thus was in command at the scene of the fire which remains the worst disaster in Nevada history, and the third-worst hotel fire in modern U.S. history.
PEPCON Disaster
The PEPCON disaster was an industrial disaster that occurred in Henderson on May 4, 1988 at the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) plant. The fire and subsequent explosions claimed two lives, injured 372 people, and caused an estimated US$100 million of damage. A large portion of the Las Vegas Valley within a 10 miles (16 km) radius of the plant was affected, and several agencies activated disaster plans.
Stations & Apparatus
The CCFD is spread out throughout the unincorporated areas of the county in 42 separate fire stations, including one located at McCarran International Airport.