Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District
The Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District (abbreviated PRPFD) is one of fourteen volunteer and combination departments that make up the Jefferson County Fire Service. This department covers 56 square miles (145 square kilometres) and serves the citizens of Pleasure Ridge Park and Valley Station in southwestern Jefferson County, Kentucky.[1]
 | |
| "First In Service" | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1950 |
| Annual calls | 3,000+ |
| Employees | 100+ |
| Staffing | Combination |
| Fire chief | Douglas V. Recktenwald |
| EMS level | ALS/BLS |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Battalions | 1 |
| Stations | 8 |
| Engines | 10 |
| Trucks | 1 |
| Quints | 2 |
| Rescues | 1 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
History
The Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District (PRP) was originally formed by a group of local citizens in February 1950. For the first six months of PRP's existence it operated on funds provided by local businesses whose names were placed on the back of firefighter turnout gear. In October 1950, PRP was officially recognized as a fire protection district under Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) Chapter 75 Fire Protection Districts, which enabled it to collect taxes from property owners for its funding. PRP was initially an all-volunteer force. The first chief, Edward R. Gland, commanded a group of sixteen volunteers and operated out of a building it shared with the Jefferson County Police Department and the Department of Public Works. In 1955, PRP constructed its first stand alone fire station at the present site of PRP Station 1. By the end of the 1950s PRP was operating out of two stand alone fire stations, in the 1960s two more stations were constructed and in the 1970s a fifth station was added. In 1991, PRP constructed a state-of-the-art training facility that included a 6th fire station. In 2004, PRP merged with a neighboring department (South Dixie Fire Protection District) which added two more fire stations; this accounts for the eight current facilities operated by PRP. From 1950 to 1973, PRP remained an all-volunteer force. In 1973 a radio dispatcher was employed by the district. In 1975 the first female employee of the district was hired as a fire inspector. By 1984, PRP was still operating with an all-volunteer firefighting force consisting of 150 members, but had hired 11 employees to manage dispatching, building inspections, apparatus maintenance and hydrant inspections. In 1987, fire dispatching was transferred to the Louisville Division of Fire and the PRP dispatchers were transferred to PRP's first career fire company making PRP's official department type change from volunteer to combination. In 1991, PRP hired its first career fire chief, Eric D. Evans. Also, in the 1990s, PRP added a second career fire company during business hours which with the first career fire company responded to incidents during the day until the large volunteer suppression force was able to staff units after business hours. In 2003 PRP, following a trend of most departments with career members, moved its career staff from 40-hour employees to 56-hour employees. In 2004, PRP merged with a neighboring department and added a third career company which was the model until 2018. In 2018 PRP began providing a Basic and Advanced Life Support ground ambulance service. .[2]
Mergers
In 2004, South Dixie Fire District merged with Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District.[2]
In 2020, Lake Dreamland Fire Department merged with Pleasure Ridge Fire Protection District.
Statistics
In 2012, PRPFD was one of 676 registered Fire Departments in the state of Kentucky according to the National Fire Department Census.[3]
Operations
Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District operates out of 8 stations, making it the third largest department in the state of Kentucky, behind Lexington and Louisville. Here is a list of stations, their locations, and operating companies.
Station 1 - 4500 Kerrick Lane
Engine 2231 - Reserve
Rescue 2281 - Career Staffed
Medical Unit 2286 - Career Staffed
Station 2 - 9500 Stonestreet Road
Truck 2262 - Reserve
Quint 2252 - Career Staffed
Medical Unit - 2282 Career Staffed
Battalion 2209 - Career Staffed
Station 3 - 8505 Terry Road
Engine 2283 - Volunteer
Engine 2233 - Reserve
Squrt 2253 - Reserve
Station 4 - 5126 Cane Run Road
Engine 2284 - Volunteer
Engine 2232 - Reserve
Station 5 - 6902 Manslick Road
Engine 2285 - Volunteer
Engine 2286 - Reserve
Station 6 - 8201 Greenwood Road - Training Facility
Quad 2241 - Training Use Only
Station 7 - 13210 Dixie Highway
Quad 2247 - Reserve
Quint 2257 - Volunteer
Engine 2287- Reserve
Trench Rescue 6492 - Cross-staffed by 2288's crew as needed
Station 8 - 6501 Bethany Lane
Rescue 2288 - Career Staffed
Water Rescue 2280 - Cross-staffed by 2288's crew as needed
Special Operations
Trench Rescue Team
The Trench Rescue Team has members from all fourteen suburban fire districts and Louisville Metro EMS. Team members are trained to one of three levels of certification under National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.[4]
- Technician
- Operations
- Competent Person
Water Rescue Team
The Jefferson County Water Rescue Team has members from several Suburban Fire Districts.[5] PRPFD being one of those whose Water Rescue Team operates with the use of two inflatable Zodiac boats which are stored at Stations 7 & 8. PRPFD has the only rescue boats on the lower pool of the Ohio River from McAlpine Dam to the Salt River (Kentucky). The team is equipped to handle water rescues on rivers, swift water streams, and flooding.[6] Both teams assist in operations during Thunder Over Louisville.[7]
The team was activated by the State Emergency Management Agency and deployed to help in rescue operations in New Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
HAZMAT Team
Due to this Districts location to many industrial areas namely Riverport, all Pleasure Ridge Park Firefighters are HAZMAT Operations Level certified and respond to Hazardous Materials Incidents. Pleasure Ridge Park Fire District also has members that are HAZMAT Technician certified that participate with the Jefferson County Hazardous Response Team.
WHAS Crusade for Children
Annual collections for the WHAS Crusade for Children were pioneered by the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District of which all other Districts have since taken part.
Pleasure Ridge Park was the top contributing Fire District for the 59th annual WHAS Crusade for Children. The citizens of Pleasure Ridge Park donated $314,132.27 in 2012. On June 5, 2016, at the 63rd annual WHAS Crusade for Children Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District was recognized for donating over $8,000,000 to the Crusade, since 1956.
References
- "Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District". Retrieved 2012-09-06.
- "Department History". Retrieved 2012-09-06.
- FEMA Census Summary Archived 2013-02-14 at the Wayback Machine
- "Jefferson County Trench Rescue Team". Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
- "Jefferson County Water Rescue Team". Archived from the original on 2013-06-16. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
- PRPFD Water Rescue Team. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
- Thunder Over Louisville - Official Site
