ABOUT THE
BERKELEY FIRE DEPARTMENT

Today, the Fire Department is led by Chief Frank Sustr, who was appointed to this position in 1985. The Fire Department is made up of Paid on Call Fire Fighters except Monday through Friday 7:00 AM- 5:00 PM, the station is staffed with Day Time Fire Fighters. The Paid on Call ranks consist of 1 Assistant Chief, 2 Captains, 1 Lieutenant, and 20 Fire Fighter/EMTs. The Day Crew consists of 1 Lieutenant, 11 Fire Fighter/EMTs and 1 Fire Inspector.

Our apparatus consists of: 3 Engines, 2 Basic Life Support Ambulances, 1 Fire Prevention Bureau Vehicle, and a Fire Chief's Car.

The Fire Department responds to an average of 700 medical emergencies, fire emergencies, and general service calls.

The Village has a Class 4 ISO rating. This rating is what fire insurance premiums are based on.

The Berkeley Fire Department is a member of the MABAS System. The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System was designed to provide equipment and manpower for large-scale emergencies. NORCOMM is the Dispatch Center responsible for the coordination of these efforts. Fire Fighting safety standards will at times require a large scale response for what would appear to be a minor incident.

Our MABAS Division is 20. We are part of a group of 18 fire departments who share resources for emergencies that would be impossible for Berkeley alone to be equipped for. The Division has multiple specialty teams that can respond to many different types of emergencies. Some of these teams include: the Fire Investigation Unit, the Hazardous Materials Team, the Photo Unit, the Technical Rescue Team, the Safety Officers, and the Dive Rescue Team.

The Berkeley Fire Department also provides many other services such as: Fire Prevention, Public Education, and Blood Pressure Testing.

The Berkeley Fire Department protects a population of 5,245 (2000 Census) and covers an area of approximately 1 square mile. We have a small industrial center, a railroad yard, a school, two small shopping centers, many businesses, a bank and we also cover parts of Interstate 290 “The Eisenhower Expressway” and also Interstate 294 “The Tri-State Toll Way.”  The main streets that run through our town are Butterfield Road, Taft Avenue, and St. Charles Road.