St. Augustine Fire Department

03/05/2026

Congratulations to Chance Hines on an incredible milestone:
This week he celebrated 30 years of dedicated service with the St Augustine Fire Dept.
From battling wildfires across the country to serving our local community as a Firefighter, Paramedic, Instructor, and countless other titles, he has certainly touched and inspired countless lives, and he’s not ready to stop anytime soon.
We thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do for residents and visitors of St Augustine and abroad.
Here’s to many more safe shifts ahead! 🚒

02/19/2026

Today, members from our department were honored to attend Fire Service Day at the Capitol to highlight one of the initiatives we’re especially proud of- our Spark the Flame girl’s camp🔥
Our booth represented not only City Fire’s program, but girl’s fire camps being hosted throughout the state, including with whom we shared the booth. We were proud to meet with Representatives like our local to share information and advocate for the opportunities that our camps provide. Thanks to everyone who put on this meaningful event and the State Fire Marshal’s office for the invitation.

02/08/2026

Around 4:00 we received a call for a vessel in distress with a dog and 3 people aboard. Our fire boat responded along side St. Johns County Marine Rescue, St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife, and U.S. Coast Guard Southeast Sector Jacksonville. The victims were removed from the vessel and placed aboard a public safety vessel while it was pulled from the hazardous conditions. Commercial salvage responded to complete to towing operation. Our joint training and partnerships on the water allow for seamless emergency operations.

11/11/2025

The men and women of the St Augustine Fire Department want to thank all those who have ever raised their right hand in an oath to defend our great nation. We are grateful for your service and sacrifice.

11/04/2025

🔥 Fire Prevention Month Recap 🔥

October may be over, but fire safety is still a year-round practice! Last month, our firefighters and prevention bureau visited city-wide elementary schools and daycares to remind our students:

👩‍🚒 Firefighters are your friends — never be afraid of us!
🏠 Every home needs a fire escape plan and working smoke alarms.
🚫 Playing with matches, lighters, or other “grown-up tools” can cause burns or fires.
➡️ If there’s ever a fire — get out and stay out!

In accordance with this year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week, we also introduced our older students to Lithium Ion battery safety. Remember to always:
🔋 Buy batteries and devices from reputable sources
⚡ Charge batteries on a hard, flat surface — never on a bed or couch
🔌 Use only the charger that came with the device
♻️ Recycle batteries properly when they’re no longer needed

You can find safe battery recycling locations near you by visiting Call2Recycle.org.

Thank you to our schools, teachers, and families for helping make Fire Prevention Month a success!

10/11/2025

‼️ SATURDAY, October 11: Anticipate flooding and road closures, including the Bridge of Lions and King Street bridge, between 11:30am and 2:30pm today in the same areas and locations as yesterday. Impacts will be dependent on areas that are more prone to flooding.

⚠️Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect for the entirety of the Atlantic Coast and St. Johns River Basin through at least this evening's high tide
🌊Many tide gauges have already peaked at Moderate Flood Stage, with several briefly reaching Major Flood Stage including near downtown Saint Augustine (photo below)
⚠️Flooding of nearby coastal/river roads is already occurring - turn around, don't drown!

10/06/2025

Happy Fire Prevention Week! This year’s theme is “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium Ion Batteries in Your Home”.

Lithium-ion batteries store a lot of energy in a small place. These batteries can overheat, start a fire, or explode if overcharged or damaged.

This year’s theme reminds us the importance of buying only listed battery-powered products, charging devices safely- on a flat hard surface rather than a couch or bed, and recycling batteries responsibly. To find a recycling spot near you, visit call2recycle.org

09/24/2025

This week the St. Augustine Fire Department in partnership with the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, had the opportunity to carry out 3 days of hands on training exercises. These exercises better prepared our firefighters to mitigate vessel and marina related emergencies. Despite warm temperatures and heavy call volume, a total of 1800’ of hose was pulled each day. That’s over a mile of hose in 3 days! Special thanks for Lt. Murphy and Eng. Moscoso for organizing a great week of training.

08/21/2025

Just before 5 PM today, St. Augustine Fire Department and St. Johns County Fire Rescue received a call regarding a structure fire on Water St.

Initial crews arrived on the scene within four minutes to find flames from the roof. The fire was brought under control within 15 minutes.

This iconic and historic home was built in the 1880s. It was originally owned by the Dismukes family, who helped lead efforts to save the historic City Gates.

Later the home was purchased by Dr. Joseph Fogerty, a prominent physician and surgeon who served as mayor of St. Augustine twice and even became John D. Rockefeller’s personal physician.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and we are relieved that this piece of St. Augustine's rich history has been preserved.

Eyewitness accounts and damage is consistent with a lightning strike as the likely cause.

08/13/2025

Around 4:15am units from City Fire, St. Johns County Fire Rescue, and St. Johns County Sheriff's Office responded to a small boat capsized offshore on the North Shoals of the St. Augustine Inlet. St. Augustine Fire Boat M-49 arrived on scene to find 3 victims in the water. Due to sea conditions a rescue swimmer was deployed to assist the victims to the fire boat. One victim was transported by SJFCR with non-life-threatening injuries. None of the victims were wearing PFDs (Personal Flotation Device). The incident is under investigation by MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife.

08/01/2025

Today, we held a special pinning ceremony to honor the achievements and promotions of several dedicated St. Augustine Fire Department members:

Doug Schenck – New Firefighter
Vince Coursey – Promoted from Firefighter to Engineer
Josh McKenzie – Promoted from Engineer to Lieutenant
Brandon Seymour – Promoted from Lieutenant to Captain
Dustin Hamilton – Assistant Fire Marshal

We’re proud of their service, leadership, and continued commitment to keeping our community safe.

👏 Help us congratulate them in the comments!

07/24/2025

We had an exciting morning as we honored two extraordinarily devoted public servants. Commander Josh Underwood from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and our very own Deputy Chief Chris Pacetti were honored by U.S. Coast Guard Southeast and presented with the US Coast Guard Public Service Commendation Award for their contributions to enhancing public safety responses and local maritime resources. This is an incredible honor for them both and we are proud and grateful for their efforts.