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City of Paris, Kentucky

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525 High Street, Paris, KY 40361(859) 987-2110Contact Us
A Great Community. A Brighter Tomorrow.
City ofParis, Kentucky

Thoroughbred Capital of the World
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Paris Public Safety

Fire Department

Fire or medical emergency

Call 911

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Red and white Paris Fire Department fire engine parked outdoors.
Paris Fire Department engine
Paris fire station with a fire engine parked in an open bay.
Fire station with engine in the bay
Fire Station 2 sign at night reading Firehouse 2, September 11, 2001, We will never forget, with flags and a red fire hydrant.
Fire Station 2 and its September 11 memorial

Our Mission

The Paris Fire Department is committed to protecting the people and property within our community. We will be responsive to the needs of our citizens by providing rapid professional, humanitarian services essential to the health, safety, and wellbeing of the community.

Read the full mission statement

We will accomplish our mission through prevention, education, fire suppression, emergency medical services and other related emergency and non-emergency activities. We will actively participate in our community, serve as role models, and strive to effectively and efficiently utilize all the necessary resources at our command to provide a product deemed excellent by our citizens. We are committed to excellence, professionalism, and devotion to duty.

How we serve

  • Prevention
  • Education
  • Fire suppression
  • Emergency medical services

Who We Serve

Paris Fire Department

Covers all of the City of Paris for fire protection and prevention, and provides support to the Bourbon County and volunteer fire departments for operations in Bourbon County outside the Paris city limits.

Paris-Bourbon County EMS

A division of the Paris Fire Department that covers Emergency Medical Services for all of Bourbon County.

Visit EMS / Ambulance Services

Fire Department Services

Main line (not for emergencies)

859-987-2120

An automated system can direct your call to either station, the on-shift Battalion Chief (shift supervisor), the EMS Major, or the Chief.

CPR classes and EMS reports are handled by Paris-Bourbon County EMS. See EMS / Ambulance Services.

Please note

  • Burn permits: The Fire Department does not issue burn permits inside Paris city limits.
  • Smoke alarms and checks: These go through the Health Department, not the Fire Department.

Command Staff

EMS leadership is listed on the EMS / Ambulance Services page.

Our Stations

Station phones are not for emergencies. In an emergency, call 911.

Fire Station 1

Houses: Engine 1, EC-1, EC-3, Battalion 1, and the command staff offices.

Fire Station 2

Houses: Ladder 2, EC-2, EC-4, and Engine 2.

Each station operates a frontline fire apparatus and one ambulance each day. If an additional ambulance is needed, a crew will drop down from the fire apparatus to staff a backup ambulance.

Our History

  1. 1810

    Paris had early firefighting equipment by 1810.

  2. 1874

    After the disastrous courthouse fire, the first formally trained fire company was formed. Paris Fire Department was founded in 1874 with only two full-time firefighters who worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at $75 per month.

  3. 1880s

    Paris firemen needed to build up a “head of steam” in the boiler before they could start fighting fires with an 1880s fire engine. The horses that pulled the equipment were stabled in the basement of the fire station on the courthouse square, but two horses were always kept upstairs to be ready quickly.

  4. Today

    As one of the oldest fire stations in the nation, Paris Fire continues to serve the community. Paris Fire & EMS currently staffs nearly 50 employees, including three platoons of full-time firefighters and medics as well as several part-time employees. The department is located at two stations within the City of Paris, with several engines and EMS units ready to respond to any emergency that arises.

Historic black-and-white photo of a horse-drawn Paris fire engine outside the fire station.
Historic horse-drawn Paris fire engine
Restored antique red fire engine lettered P.F.D. No. 1.
Restored antique engine, P.F.D. No. 1
Black-and-white photo of a 1937 Paris Fire Department truck lettered P.F.D. No. 1 in front of a station bay marked P.F.D.
1937 fire truck, Chief Tom Elder
Historic black-and-white photo of Paris firefighters standing with early fire vehicles in front of a station marked Fire Dept.
Paris firefighters outside the station
Historic black-and-white photo of the brick building that housed the Paris fire and police departments and city court, with a bell tower and flag.
Paris fire and police departments and city court building

History of the Paris Fire Department and Its Fire Alarm System (PDF)

A piece of history

The Gamewell Fire Alarm

The station is home to a working Gamewell fire alarm telegraph system, one of only two still functioning. Numbered call boxes on street corners once sent a coded signal straight to the firehouse. The Smithsonian once asked to borrow it.

The station also displays an original fireman's ladder and a 1930s American LaFrance Fire Engine No. 1.

Want to see it? Call the Fire Department at 859-987-2120 to schedule a tour.Read the Capture Kentucky story (outside website, opens in a new tab)