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Fire Department

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1. Who is the billing company for Gloucester Fire Department EMS services?

Intermedix is currently our contracted billing company.

2. I am interested in becoming a Gloucester Firefighter.

See our web page. Firefighters Civil Service Exam

3. How do I obtain a permit to burn brush?

A permit must be obtained online at Gloucester's Online Permitting Central via View Point Cloud. Those without internet access may come into Fire Headquarters/Fire Prevention Office at 8 School Street and use our public-access computer in the lobby to apply.
The permit fee is $25.00. The online system accepts all major credit cards and charges a $1.74 processing fee. Applicants can also pay by check (payable to City of Gloucester) in person or by mail. Please note that permits paid by check cannot be issued until the check has been processed; this may cause a several day delay. Checks returned for insufficient funds must be redeemed in cash and a $25 fee for handling returned checks will be added. Sorry, no cash is accepted at any time.

The burning season runs from January 15 through May 1 each year. As weather conditions can change rapidly, especially in the spring, the Deputy Fire Chief on duty determines on a daily basis when it is safe to conduct open burning. You must call each day to see if it's permissible to burn as weather conditions or other factors may determine whether conditions allow burning that day. The Open Burn Status phone number: 978-325-5300 and select extension 1

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4. Why do you send a fire engine when I called for an ambulance?

Most Gloucester Fire Department members are trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). During a medical emergency, minutes and seconds count. The response of the closest Firefighter/EMTs brings properly trained first responders to your home or office as quickly as possible.

Emergency life saving equipment, such as oxygen and semi-automatic defibrillators are carried on the fire engine for use by these trained firefighters.

Additional staff on a fire engine also provides supervision and it is necessary to have additional trained personnel to assist in moving stretchers through buildings, carrying patients down stairways or when slippery conditions are encountered. This helps to reduce back injuries to personnel handling unwieldy stretchers and heavy patients. It is also necessary to have more than two people perform certain treatments such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation while moving a patient.

At traffic accidents, the fire engine personnel keep the area safe if there are fuel spills or fire and can extricate people from the wreckage.