The City of Hazleton is located in the southern end of Luzerne County. It is the second most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with a population of approximately 30,000 residents. The city is like any other city, with many single and multiple family dwellings, commercial, and industrial buildings. It is also known for coal mining and the silk industry. The fire department is a combination career and volunteer, operating out of three fire stations covering the 5.97-square-mile city. Hazleton Fire Department is comprised of 23 career firefighters under the command of Chief Donald Leshko and two deputy fire chiefs. The volunteer rolls are at about 200 members. Each volunteer company has their own company chief and line officers.

The Southside Station, located at 525 East Broad St., is home to the Chief of Department, Tower 1, Ladder 1, Rescue 3, Pipeline 4, Utility 6, a UTV, and the department's trench rescue trailer. It is the headquarters station for the career staff. Diamond Fire Co. # 2 operates out of a station located at 622 North Church St. and is home to Engine Company 2. The Diamond Fire Company has approximately 50 volunteer members to supplement the career staff. 14th Ward Fire Company #5 is located at 548 East Diamond Ave. and houses Engine 5 and the department's foam trailer.

The department responds to approximately 1,000 calls for service annually. In recent years, the department has upgraded its in-service fleet. All of the apparatus were built by KME. The oldest in-service apparatus is Pipeline 4, which is a 2007 KME.