Firefighting Division

This division is comprised of 3 Crew Captains, 6 Lieutenants, 9 Driver Engineers and 21 Firefighters who are assigned to three 24-hour shifts. Station 40 houses an engine company and a ladder company. Those apparatus are manned by the captain, a lieutenant, 2 engineers and 3 Firefighters. Station 41 on the island, is manned by a lieutenant, an engineer, and a Firefighter.

Certified

All department officers are Florida Certified Fire Officers and Emergency Medical Technicians or paramedics. 80% of the department is certified in hazardous materials response. Eleven firefighters are also Florida Certified Fire Safety Inspectors and four of those are Florida Certified Fire and Arson Investigators.

St Augustine Fire Department has been certified as an Aquatic Rescue Response Team (ARRT) by the United Stated Lifesaving Association (USLA). The certification is based on adherence to nationally recognized guidelines for open water rescue agencies. The City of St Augustine Fire Department is 1 of only 23 departments in the Nation to hold this certification.

Responsibilities

The firefighters respond to approximately 4,500 calls per year, with an average response time of 4 minutes. The Fire Department protects the City’s 15,000 residents and its’ 5.3 million annual visitors from fires and natural disasters and provides:

  • Fire suppression
  • Emergency medical care
  • Maritime Response 
  • Hazardous Materials Response
  • Public education
  • Fire safety inspections
  • Confined space rescue
  • Code enforcement 
  • Emergency preparedness

Duties

Review the duties of the Firefighting Personnel:

  • Provide fire protection and emergency medical services to the public. All Florida State certified firefighters are also emergency medical technicians or paramedics. Our department provides BLS support to SJCFR for all medical calls. Emergency medical  services make up roughly 73% of all calls for service. 
  • Maintain the department’s fire apparatus, stations and equipment. A typical week has Monday set aside for station maintenance, Tuesday through Thursday for training and pre-fire planning, Friday for vehicle maintenance, and Saturday special training and make-up of uncompleted assignment from the previous days. Inspections, pre-fire surveys, etc. are conducted Monday through Friday, time permitting.
  • Complete weekly “in-service” training/education classes.
  • Conduct pre-fire surveys of all commercial buildings annually and of special “targeted”, higher risk buildings semi-annually. This information, used in training and for a more effective emergency response, is carried on each responding fire engine.
  • Operate jointly with St. Johns County Fire/Rescue (SJCFR) as a “Special Hazards Operations Team”, to respond to hazardous materials incidents.

Class 1 Rating

Through the combined efforts of the City’s Fire and Utility Departments, St. Augustine Fire Department’s public protection classification was increased to a Class 1 rating by the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) in 2018. We are extremely proud as it is a true rarity, being a fraction of the top 1% of all fire departments nationwide.