On July 28, 1886 the City of Bessemer was founded by Henry F. Debardeleben. A desire to organize a fire department to include citizens led to a meeting on December 5, 1888. At this meeting approximately 40 citizens signed the roll and the first company was formed, officially organizing the Bessemer Fire Department. On Sunday afternoon, December 16, 1888 at exactly three o’clock the Bessemer Fire Department made its first run. As reported in the “Bessemer Journal”, it was a fire that was extinguished in a little over three minutes. And so started a tradition to provide quick response and a high level of commitment to the citizens of Bessemer.

The city of Bessemer Fire Department today is one of the finest in the Southeast. The department has 109 firefighters and serves the city of Bessemer through five fire stations. The city has a Class 1 ISO rating.

The Bessemer Fire Department is honored to serve our community with professionalism and compassion. With pride in our abilities, we provide our citizens, businesses and visitors with first class emergency and customer service.

We honor those who came before us through our continuous growth in leadership, character and proficiency of skills, which are nurtured in each individual within our department.

We strive to inspire future generations through community involvement, public education and a commitment to excellence.