diff --git a/src/angularfire2.spec.ts b/src/angularfire2.spec.ts
index 15c38361d..2c7afc571 100644
--- a/src/angularfire2.spec.ts
+++ b/src/angularfire2.spec.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import {
   TestBed,
   inject
diff --git a/src/angularfire2.ts b/src/angularfire2.ts
index cbc01fa75..ab68aea94 100644
--- a/src/angularfire2.ts
+++ b/src/angularfire2.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { initializeApp } from 'firebase';
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import * as utils from './utils';
 import { FirebaseAppConfig } from './interfaces';
 import { AuthConfiguration } from './auth';
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export class AngularFire {
 }
 
 export function _getFirebase(config: FirebaseAppConfig): firebase.app.App {
-  return initializeApp(config);
+  return firebase.initializeApp(config);
 }
 
 export function _getWindowLocation(){
diff --git a/src/auth/auth.spec.ts b/src/auth/auth.spec.ts
index 885355e17..9e0031ab5 100644
--- a/src/auth/auth.spec.ts
+++ b/src/auth/auth.spec.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { auth, initializeApp } from 'firebase';
 import { ReflectiveInjector, Provider } from '@angular/core';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs/Observable'
diff --git a/src/auth/auth.ts b/src/auth/auth.ts
index 21157f74b..40b52b399 100644
--- a/src/auth/auth.ts
+++ b/src/auth/auth.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { Provider, Inject, Injectable, Optional } from '@angular/core';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs/Observable';
 import { Observer } from 'rxjs/Observer';
diff --git a/src/auth/auth_backend.spec.ts b/src/auth/auth_backend.spec.ts
index 5c29eca2e..abedf975f 100644
--- a/src/auth/auth_backend.spec.ts
+++ b/src/auth/auth_backend.spec.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import {
   authDataToAuthState,
   AuthProviders,
diff --git a/src/auth/auth_backend.ts b/src/auth/auth_backend.ts
index b5da7020d..881e70e5a 100644
--- a/src/auth/auth_backend.ts
+++ b/src/auth/auth_backend.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs/Observable';
 
 export abstract class AuthBackend {
diff --git a/src/auth/firebase_sdk_auth_backend.ts b/src/auth/firebase_sdk_auth_backend.ts
index b5ba557f5..b609c49b7 100644
--- a/src/auth/firebase_sdk_auth_backend.ts
+++ b/src/auth/firebase_sdk_auth_backend.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { Injectable, Inject } from '@angular/core';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs/Observable';
 import { Observer } from 'rxjs/Observer';
 import { FirebaseApp } from '../tokens';
 import { isPresent, ZoneScheduler } from '../utils';
-import { auth } from 'firebase';
 import {
   authDataToAuthState,
   AuthBackend,
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ const {
   GithubAuthProvider,
   GoogleAuthProvider,
   TwitterAuthProvider
-} = auth;
+} = firebase.auth;
 
 import { map } from 'rxjs/operator/map';
 import { fromPromise } from 'rxjs/observable/fromPromise';
diff --git a/src/database/database.ts b/src/database/database.ts
index d2ee4c12d..8927c0344 100644
--- a/src/database/database.ts
+++ b/src/database/database.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { Inject, Injectable } from '@angular/core';
 import { FirebaseApp, FirebaseConfig } from '../tokens';
 import { FirebaseAppConfig } from '../angularfire2';
diff --git a/src/database/firebase_list_factory.spec.ts b/src/database/firebase_list_factory.spec.ts
index 94beeda19..142517be1 100644
--- a/src/database/firebase_list_factory.spec.ts
+++ b/src/database/firebase_list_factory.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-declare var require: any;
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import {
   FirebaseListFactory,
   FirebaseListObservable,
diff --git a/src/database/firebase_list_factory.ts b/src/database/firebase_list_factory.ts
index 74454bee1..39fbcf0bc 100644
--- a/src/database/firebase_list_factory.ts
+++ b/src/database/firebase_list_factory.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { AFUnwrappedDataSnapshot } from '../interfaces';
 import { FirebaseListObservable } from './firebase_list_observable';
 import { Observer } from 'rxjs/Observer';
-import { database } from 'firebase';
 import { observeQuery } from './query_observable';
 import { Query, FirebaseListFactoryOpts } from '../interfaces';
 import * as utils from '../utils';
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export function FirebaseListFactory (
   let ref: firebase.database.Reference | firebase.database.Query;
 
   utils.checkForUrlOrFirebaseRef(absoluteUrlOrDbRef, {
-    isUrl: () => ref = database().refFromURL(<string>absoluteUrlOrDbRef),
+    isUrl: () => ref = firebase.database().refFromURL(<string>absoluteUrlOrDbRef),
     isRef: () => ref = <firebase.database.Reference>absoluteUrlOrDbRef,
     isQuery: () => ref = <firebase.database.Query>absoluteUrlOrDbRef,
   });
diff --git a/src/database/firebase_list_observable.spec.ts b/src/database/firebase_list_observable.spec.ts
index 7c0e8b384..25bb8e5b4 100644
--- a/src/database/firebase_list_observable.spec.ts
+++ b/src/database/firebase_list_observable.spec.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { FirebaseListObservable } from './index';
 import { Observer } from 'rxjs/Observer';
 import { map } from 'rxjs/operator/map';
-import { database } from 'firebase';
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { unwrapMapFn } from '../utils';
 import {
   FIREBASE_PROVIDERS,
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ describe('FirebaseObservable', () => {
     });
     inject([FirebaseApp, AngularFire], (firebaseApp: firebase.app.App, _af: AngularFire) => {
       app = firebaseApp;
-      ref = database().ref();
+      ref = firebase.database().ref();
       O = new FirebaseListObservable(ref, (observer:Observer<any>) => {
       });
     })();
diff --git a/src/database/firebase_object_factory.spec.ts b/src/database/firebase_object_factory.spec.ts
index d26e8e0cb..499329525 100644
--- a/src/database/firebase_object_factory.spec.ts
+++ b/src/database/firebase_object_factory.spec.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { Subscription } from 'rxjs';
 import { FirebaseObjectFactory, FirebaseObjectObservable } from './index';
 import {
diff --git a/src/database/firebase_object_factory.ts b/src/database/firebase_object_factory.ts
index 844a9f055..9c2a5371c 100644
--- a/src/database/firebase_object_factory.ts
+++ b/src/database/firebase_object_factory.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { FirebaseObjectObservable } from './index';
 import { Observer } from 'rxjs/Observer';
-import { database } from 'firebase';
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import * as utils from '../utils';
 import { Query } from '../interfaces';
 import { observeQuery } from './query_observable';
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ export function FirebaseObjectFactory (
   let ref: firebase.database.Reference;
 
   utils.checkForUrlOrFirebaseRef(absoluteUrlOrDbRef, {
-    isUrl: () => ref = database().refFromURL(<string>absoluteUrlOrDbRef),
+    isUrl: () => ref = firebase.database().refFromURL(<string>absoluteUrlOrDbRef),
     isRef: () => ref = <firebase.database.Reference>absoluteUrlOrDbRef
   });
 
diff --git a/src/database/firebase_object_observable.spec.ts b/src/database/firebase_object_observable.spec.ts
index fa19bc60b..b963db3c7 100644
--- a/src/database/firebase_object_observable.spec.ts
+++ b/src/database/firebase_object_observable.spec.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { COMMON_CONFIG, ANON_AUTH_CONFIG } from '../test-config';
 import { FirebaseObjectObservable } from './index';
 import { Observer } from 'rxjs/Observer';
 import { map } from 'rxjs/operator/map';
-import { database } from 'firebase';
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 
 const rootDatabaseUrl = COMMON_CONFIG.databaseURL;
 
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ describe('FirebaseObjectObservable', () => {
     });
     inject([FirebaseApp, AngularFire], (firebaseApp: firebase.app.App, _af: AngularFire) => {
       app = firebaseApp;
-      ref = database().ref()
+      ref = firebase.database().ref()
       O = new FirebaseObjectObservable((observer:Observer<any>) => {
       }, ref);
     })();
diff --git a/src/interfaces.ts b/src/interfaces.ts
index a5ea53d9c..f7ef1bbc9 100644
--- a/src/interfaces.ts
+++ b/src/interfaces.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { Observable } from 'rxjs/Observable';
 
 export interface FirebaseAppConfig {
diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index aa9fd2293..be08ff875 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import * as firebase from 'firebase';
 import { Subscription } from 'rxjs/Subscription';
 import { Scheduler } from 'rxjs/Scheduler';
 import { queue } from 'rxjs/scheduler/queue';