Our History
We’ve been at this since 1891, when the Dickinson Hose Company hauled buckets and ran toward smoke while everyone else ran away. A century and change later, the gear looks different, but the mindset hasn’t moved an inch. Leather buckets turned into pumpers, horses turned into engines, and training manuals turned into high-tech playbooks. The grit is the same. The fight is the same. The standard is higher.
Who Are We
The Dickinson Fire Department isn’t your cookie-cutter firehouse. We’re not just a fire department. We’re a force. A mix of full-timers, part-timers, reserves, and even a chaplain, all pulling the same line. Chiefs, Captains, Lieutenants, Fire Inspectors, Paramedics, rope techs, hazmat specialists, EMTs — you name it, we’ve got it. Rank doesn’t matter when the tones drop. What matters is getting the job done. Every patch and helmet here represents a culture of sweat, sacrifice, and service. We don’t exist to blend in with the crowd. We exist to protect the people of Dickinson, and we’ll do it better than anyone else.
What Do We Do
If you think we only fight fires, you’re about a century behind. Sure, we put out fires like structure, wildland, and handle vehicle incidents. But that’s just the starting line. We handle hazardous materials spills, perform high-angle rope rescues, dig people out of trenches, cut mangled cars apart, and bring life-saving medical care when seconds matter. We’re one of only two departments in North Dakota that are a combination FIRE and EMS, the perfect place for those folks looking for adventure, community service, and being a part of something bigger than themselves.
We don't stop at emergencies either. Fire Prevention, inspections, public education, community events — we take just as much pride in keeping fires from starting as we do in putting them out. Add in our improved ISO rating and the expansion of our stations, staffing, and equipment, and it’s clear: Dickinson Fire isn’t here to blend in. We’re here to raise the bar.
All this to say.... we don’t just react. We prevent. We inspect. We educate. We run events. We test hydrants. We raise the bar every single year. Our ISO rating proves it, but more importantly, so does the trust of the community we serve.
Bottom line: We’ve been doing the job since 1891, and we’re not slowing down. We don’t chase trends. We set the standard.