The Lawrence Fire Department personnel work a 24 hours on and 48 hours off shift schedule that covers 3 shifts to provide 24 hour emergency service to our City.  All firefighters and EMS personnel conduct weekly skills training on a vast array of modern tactics, advanced hands on skills training in fire, basic and advanced medical training and special operations training including vehicle/machinery extrication, hazardous materials, top and swift water rescue, low and high angle rope rescue.  Fire department personnel put in thousands of hours of both educational credit hour education for the many certifications they hold annually along with thousands of hours of hands on practical skills to stay proficient to save life and property.

Over the many decades of service, the Lawrence Fire Department has continued to improve and purchase the needed and ever changing life saving equipment and technology for both our members and our citizens.  Our current fire fleet consists of 3 newer and modern fire engines, 1 newer and modern ladder truck, 1 highly equipped heavy tactical rescue truck with state of the art rescue equipment, including extrication equipment, rope rescue equipment and hazardous materials equipment, and a reserve engine and ladder truck that keeps our fleet running and in service every day.  Our EMS Division boasts 3 new and modern Medic Ambulances which our highly equipped for advanced life support including power loading patient cots and Lucas Devices which provide “hands free” CPR that greatly improves daily life saving efforts for our EMTs and Paramedics.  Along with the daily emergency services, our EMS Division provides, we also respond into the Fort Harrison State Park with fully equipped ATVs for medical, fire and rope rescue emergencies.

The Lawrence Fire Department has a long tradition of public service as well, and our Firefighters and EMS personnel take great pride in helping our community. We have a great partnership with the Lawrence Township Schools, especially the First Grade annual fire station visits. Approximately 1100 children visit all of our firehouses and learn fire safety, our various apparatus and equipment and how they work and what it is like to be a firefighter living in a firehouse, and all leave with valuable fire safety information. Our priority is to teach our young children early about the importance of fires and how they can communicate with their parents in the home.

Annually we conduct a smoke detector blitz, a program that targets specific areas of the City and Firefighters go door to door giving out and helping to install modern up to date smoke detectors.  Through our City website, we have also made smoke detectors available to any citizen in our City.

Our mission is our calling through our motivated and dedicated men and women who make up the Lawrence Fire Department.  With education, skill and training, our members are proud to serve our citizens of the City of Lawrence and those who travel through or visit every day.  We will always strive to improve our education, training, equipment and tactics to protect our community.