BridgeDetroit contributor Quinn Banks spent several months in 2024 embedded in city fire houses, sharing in the culture, shadowing Detroit’s first responders on emergency runs and battling fires, and talking with about a dozen employees within the ranks of Detroit’s Fire Department.
Detroit firefighter David DeGutis works out of the department’s Squad 6 on Shoemaker. He got to DFD about six years ago and said the bonds he’s built in Detroit are unlike any others. “Everyone tries to look out for each other. It is honestly different from the place I was at before,” said DeGutis who formerly worked as a firefighter in Oakland and Macomb counties. “The other places I was at were fire departments. This is a fire family.” 
Darnell Rogers has spent more than a decade as a Detroit firefighter. Rogers, a former member of the US Air Force, said he grew up wanting to be a paramedic and, since the city wasn’t hiring at that time, he first began working for private ambulance companies around age 18. 
Detroit fire department members Dakota Perkins, Darnell Rogers and Katie Riley 
With more than nine years of service on the force, Detroit firefighter Katie Riley, a Birmingham native, said she joined DFD to fight fire for the greatest department in the nation. “I stayed because I have found that firefighting is the ultimate team sport and public service job,” she said. “It’s better than football, because the game is saving people’s lives and property.” 
Sgt. Tim Carter joined Detroit’s Fire Department in 2001 and fought fires alongside his father who retired in 2007. Carter said the comradery among members of the department is invaluable, “this job is just a fraternity where we get to fight fires.” 
Detroit Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Cross joined DFD in 1992. He’s at the department’s Station 6 on Russell Street. 
Detroit Fire Chief Reginald Harper. “When that call comes in we know we need to move as fast as possible. It could be a couch in a living room but if you hesitate you have the whole living room on fire, and if you get there and have an issue it can spread to the dining room and a bedroom and soon you have the first floor of a two-story dwelling on fire because of hesitation.”
Detroit Fire Department Engine Engine 56, Ladder 18 and other units respond to a vehicle fire between residential dwellings at 18018 Buffalo St. on December 10, 2024.
Detroit firefighters from Ladder 7 and other responding units battle a blaze at a family dwelling located at 6142 Commonwealth on December 7, 2024.
Firefighters from Engine 39 respond to a call at 1189 Euclid on May 24, 2024.
Among the activities firefighters at Detroit stations do while not answering calls is cooking together, a bonding activity as much as it is a necessity.
Beyond fighting fires, these first responders handle emergency medical calls.
Detroit EMS service member Michael mishler assisting a citizen out of the back of his ambulance after arriving at the home for a medical call. Credit: Quinn Banks / Special to BridgeDetroit 
Detroit EMS service member Michael mishler assisting a citizen out of the back of his ambulance after arriving at the home for a medical call. Credit: Quinn Banks / Special to BridgeDetroit 
Detroit EMS service member Michael mishler assisting a citizen out of the back of his ambulance after arriving at the home for a medical call. Credit: Quinn Banks / Special to BridgeDetroit 
Credit: Quinn Banks / Special to BridgeDetroit
Part of the job is public relations and making sure residents, including the littlest ones, feel safe.
Firefighting comes with a specialized set of tools, not the least of which is the gear worn for protection. Turnout gear includes a coat, pants, helmet, gloves, boots and a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). This gear is designed to protect them from extreme heat, flames, falling debris, and other hazards.
