Fire Department

In 2021, Gulfport Fire & Rescue was awarded an ISO rating of 2. ISO (Insurance Services Office, Inc.) is the leading supplier of statistical, actuarial, and underwriting information for and about the property/casualty insurance industry. The ISO fire insurance ratings for a community are the foundation on which most insurers build their coverage programs. After looking at many factors, ISO assigns a Public Protection Classification from 1 to 10. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and class 10 indicates that the area’s fire-suppression program doesn’t meet ISO’s minimum criteria. A low ISO fire rating equates to lower insurance premiums citywide. For a one station department, Gulfport’s classification as a 2 is impressive as less than 3% of departments nationwide have classifications on 2 or less.

Essential elements a fire department must have to receive a Class 2 rating:

• Must have pumper capacity to suppress a fire in any building in the community
• Must have a 24 hour central dispatch for contacting firefighters
• Must have fully equipped reserve apparatus
• Annual tests must be conducted on pumper trucks, hoses, and hydrants
• A minimum number of firefighters must be present at emergency scenes
• Firefighter training must greatly exceed minimum standards
• The department and community must have a definitive, reliable, and pressurized water supply
• Must perform annual fire code building inspections

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT members will also be trained in CPR/AED and basic first aid. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community. Gulfport CERT meetings are held every third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. CERT meeting locations will vary due to the type of scheduled training for the month. For more information, please contact (727) 893-1022 or (727) 893-1062.

Gulfport Fire Rescue began as an all-volunteer fire department prior to 1920 with a small group of local men, mainly commercial fishermen. In 1925, the City purchased an American LaFrance Triple Combination Pumper for $12,500. This “state-of-the-art” fire engine served the City in frontline use until the early 1960’s and was completely restored in 1997 for $12,000.

Over the years the community grew and the demands on the fire department increased. In 1979, a contract was signed with a local ambulance service to provide emergency medical services to the community. The original members of this service were housed in the fire station. In the early 1980’s, Pinellas County began Advanced Life Support operations countywide. Eventually, the City hired EMT’s and Paramedics as City employees who became volunteer firefighters. In 1995, with the hiring of Fire Chief Brian Brooks, the process was begun to change from an all-volunteer fire department to a combination fire department by adding one firefighter per shift and supplementing them with volunteer firefighters. The City of Gulfport and the Gulfport Fire Department are grateful to the volunteer members, and the members’ families, who served faithfully and well through the decades.