The Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the oldest established fire departments in the United States, the PFD traces its origins back to early volunteer companies, specifically the Union Fire Company, established on December 7, 1736. After 134 years, the City Council decided the growing city needed a professional, organized fire department and passed an ordinance in December 1870, creating the paid fire department.