Sumter County Fire Rescue was formed through the unification of 10 separate fire departments that existed in Sumter County prior to October 1, 2002. This unification effort was the result of over 18 months of hard work and dedication from a Fire Services Steering Committee studying the feasibility of the unification concept and reporting to the Board of County Commissioners. The Board was favorable to the concept and hired the first countywide Fire Services Administrator on March 11, 2002. A consolidation plan and first year budget was presented to the Board on April 30, 2002. The Board gave the green light to proceed with the unification and formation of Sumter County Fire Rescue, under one Director / Fire Chief to become effective October 1, 2002. During this, our first year we have several objectives; 1) Establish a county-wide fire prevention program with the hiring of a Fire Inspector / Investigator, 2) Provide First Response Basic Life Support countywide - working with Lake / Sumter EMS who will continue to provide definitive Advanced Life Support and emergency transport, 3) Train all 911 phone operators as Certified Emergency Fire Dispatchers, 4) Coordinate fire service resources throughout the county through the establishment of response areas known as Fire Battalions, with three Assistant Chiefs (one for each battalion) answering directly to the Fire Chief / Director. Each of these Assistant Chiefs will have an assigned countywide responsibility such as; Fire Prevention, Training and Special Operations. "The Villages" area of Sumter County will continue to receive FIRE & EMS coverage through their Department of Public Safety (operating essentially as a "4th Battalion of the countywide system) which cooperates with Sumter County Fire Rescue in fulfilling our mission of, "…protecting lives and property, fire suppression and Haz-Mat response…" on a daily basis. We work closely with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, the Planning & Development Department, the Department of Emergency Management and other members of the Sumter County Community Services Team to assure that all of our citizens and visitors receive the highest level of emergency service possible to enhance the quality of life that we enjoy in Sumter County.

Our motto, defines our goals and the standards we have set for ourselves:

Unity in Service
Bravery in Mission
Excellence in Performance