The French 500 that settled on the banks of the Ohio River in the late 1700’s organized Gallipolis’ first fire department. This fire brigade was made up of businessmen, farmers, and any other person willing to help in the settlement. They would use buckets to fight the fires and protect any surrounding property from damage. The current fire department was chartered in 1942 with an all-volunteer department providing fire protection. Its purpose was to provide fire protection for the city and the surrounding areas.

Currently the City of Gallipolis Fire Department protects the city and four surrounding townships. It also supports the county fire departments and Gallia County EMS with mutual aid. All EMS and Rescues are provided by the Gallia County Emergency Medical Services with the fire department supporting vehicle and search and rescue operations. The fire department makes an average of 300 emergency calls a year with an average of 53.50 % of the firefighters responding to each call. Today, with a membership of 31 men, we operate 4 pumper/tankers, a 95’ platform ladder, 2 brush units. These units are housed at 2 stations, with station 1 being manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Each station is strategically placed in the City of Gallipolis.

The fire department is governed by the city manager, which is supported by a city commission. The departments funding is provided by the cities general fund and a 3 mil fire levy that was passed by the citizens of Gallipolis in 1999. These funds let the department buy trucks and state of the art equipment to provide quality fire protection to the citizens of Gallipolis and the townships that the department covers.