fire department

American  

noun

fire departments plural

1. the department of a municipal government charged with the prevention and extinguishing of fire.

2. the personnel in such a department.

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fire department British  

noun

1. the department of a local authority responsible for the prevention and extinguishing of fires

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fire departments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fire department

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fire department

The local fire department said a second-floor section collapsed, leaving multiple people trapped inside as emergency responders worked to free them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Four of the injured were taken to hospital in a stable condition, while a fifth chose not to, the fire department said.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

With the help of City Manager Antony Lopez, he and other city officials set out to launch their own fire department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The building’s solar array had a shutdown switch that firefighters flipped when the most recent blaze began, according to the fire department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

As soon as the fire department puts out one blaze, another erupts somewhere else.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides