Navy Fire and Emergency Services

The mission of the Navy Fire & Emergency Services is "Protecting Those Who Defend America." Navy Fire & Emergency Services is a world-wide organization consisting of sixty-five Navy Fire Departments staffed with 4,027 firefighters.

Navy fire departments are no different from municipal and volunteer fire departments that protect everything from large metropolitan cities to small rural towns. Navy installations are very much like municipalities in that the Navy installation provides fire and police protection, utilities (water, sewage, and electricity) and trash removal. The major difference is the Commanding Officer, i.e. the Mayor or City Manager is appointed as opposed to being elected.

Navy fire departments provide structural, shipboard and aircraft fire suppression, public fire safety education, code enforcement and fire prevention inspections, hazardous materials response, specialized rescue and varying levels of emergency medical services, from basic life support to advanced life support and transportation, to Navy installations around the world. Navy fire departments are also a primary first responder to weapons of mass destruction and disaster.

Navy fire departments have maintained mutual and automatic aid agreements with municipal career and volunteer fire departments throughout the United States for more than forty years. In many instances, Navy fire departments provide the initial response to fires and medical emergencies in communities served by all volunteer fire departments. Navy fire personnel serve as operational and administrative officers in volunteer fire departments from Maine to Florida and as far west as Indiana. Navy heavily recruits firefighters from volunteer fire departments, particularly in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.

Navy fire department organizational structure is identical to municipal fire department organizations and staffed with certified professionals selected based on a competitive promotional process. The Navy is governed by the Department of Defense Firefighter Certification Program policy which is based on the National Fire Protection Association's Professional Qualifications Standards. This policy is a qualification standard within the Department of Defense which means Navy fire service personnel must have the appropriate professional certifications for the position he/she holds. For example, Navy firefighters are required to be certified at Firefighter II and Airport Firefighter is assigned to an installation with a flying mission. Fire Chiefs are required to be certified at Fire Officer IV, Instructor II, Inspector II and Hazardous Materials Incident Command. Several Navy fire officers are National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officers and/or designated Chief Fire Officers by the Commission on Fire Officer Designation.

Office of Personnel Management regulations prohibit testing for promotion. Department of Defense requires fire service personnel to possess the appropriate professional certifications in order to be promoted, laterally transferred or reassigned to another position. Professional certifications are earned through the Department of Defense Fire Academy and other educational institutions accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress or the National Professional Qualifications Board.

Navy fire and emergency services policies consist of Department of Defense, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, the National Fire Codes and Navy regulations. Fire apparatus, personal protective clothing and equipment complies with the appropriate NFPA and OSHA standards.