Before 1981,the residents of Nassau County were protected by volunteer fire departments and volunteer basic life support units. However, in 1979, Civil Defense Director, Terry Griffin, came to work for Nassau County. Director Griffin was in charge of all fire, rescue, communications, lifeguards, and civil defense activities. In 1984, Director Griffin worked with the County Commission to assume an old volunteer fire station on the south end of Amelia Island and in early 1985, Nassau County Fire Rescue was created.
Nassau County continued to grow over the years and as of 2022, the department has 8 fire stations, a variety of fleet vehicles (8 fire engines, 8 ambulances, 1 ladder truck, 4 reserve ALS units, a water rescue boat, etc.) and 147 employees. In Fiscal Year 21/22, Nassau County Fire Rescue responded to 1,252 fire calls and 9,168 rescue calls. They also responded to calls for a variety of other activities including fire alarms, HAZMAT situations, lift assistance, and investigations.
When not responding to calls, Fire Rescue personnel can be found participating in training exercises, washing vehicles, stocking the vehicles with medical and safety supplies, verifying medications, and cleaning around the stations. They can also often be found visiting schools to teach children about fire safety and prevention and can always be relied on to attend community events.
We appreciate the brave men and women of Nassau County Fire Rescue and commend them on providing the highest level of service to the community.
-Sabrina Robertson
Public Information Officer