Fire Department

The Southfield Fire Department is presently comprised of 99 highly-trained and motivated members who serve the citizens of Southfield and Lathrup Village, as well as a daytime population estimated at 175,000. The men and women of the Southfield Fire Department respond from five fire stations strategically located within the city.  In 2021, the busiest year on record, our firefighters responded to 15,430 calls for service (42.27 calls per day), and we remain the busiest fire department in Oakland County.

 

The Southfield Fire Department continues to be the premier fire department in our region due to the commitment and devotion to duty of our members.  Our entire team is dedicated to providing the highest quality life-safety and emergency services available.  In recent years, the fire service has been charged with providing emergency medical services, water rescue, hazardous materials response, all aspects of technical rescue, along with a large increase in emergency calls and non-emergency activities such as inspections, public education, community engagement and CPR training for the community.  The Southfield Fire Department has, in all cases, succeeded in implementing programs to answer these challenges while at the same time remaining focused on its core mission of protecting life and property.  Training our personnel to meet these challenges will continue to be a high priority.

Photo of Fire Chief Menifee

The City of Southfield Fire Department was established in 1942, and since then has grown into one of the most respected fire departments in the state of Michigan.  This respect is a result of fire department personnel going over and above when it comes to training and preparedness.  Many of our personnel are involved at the college level in training other firefighters from around the state. Our personnel collectively log thousands of hours of training annually.  Some of the training that took place in 2021 consisted of new high-rise firefighting techniques, drivers safety courses, motor vehicle extrication, new equipment review, mutual aid coordination, confined space, tower rescue, hazmat, Rapid Intervention, Victim Mass Casualty and fire attack procedures.  This training directly equates to us being able to provide the highest level of service and preparedness. The department remains committed to providing excellent service to the City of Southfield, Lathrup Village, and the visitors and workforce that enter these communities.        

Looking to the future in 2022, we plan to purchase new firefighting gear, SCBA’s, new EMS vehicles, washing extractors, and Thermal Imaging Cameras. We are also breaking ground on a new training tower and working on brightening up our fire stations.



     Johnny Menifee

     Southfield Fire Chief