02/02/2025
Key West Fire Department was established in October of 1834. What started as one of the first volunteer fire departments in the State of Florida is now a Class One full-service Fire Rescue Department with 97 certified Firefighters/EMTs of which 43 are Paramedics and 3 civilian administrative support staff.
The KWFD runs out of three manned fire stations located at:
Station 1 – 1600 North Roosevelt Blvd
Station 2 – 616 Simonton Street
Station 3 – 1499 Kennedy Drive
And 1 unmanned fire station with a mini pumper located on Sunset Key
The Fire Prevention Bureau is staffed with the Fire Marshal, and 4 Fire Inspectors averaging over 2700 Fire Safety Inspections per year enforcing City and NFPA codes and standards as a measure of protecting life and property. Various educational and community outreach programs are planned throughout the year educating the public on the importance of fire safety and prevention.
Emergency Management and Training falls under the umbrella of the Fire Department. Emergency Management is responsible for responses during disasters such as hurricanes. Emergency Management coordinates and collaborates with other entities under the direction of the Monroe County Emergency Management during a disaster. Training is a critical tool for the members of the Key West Fire Department to further education in emergency and fire response.
In 2015 KWFD added the EMS Division to the department providing the community with a higher level of service providing Key West with expedient response times to emergency calls of service. The average call volume per year is just over 7000 calls for service, the majority of which are rescue calls.
As the Fire Department has evolved and continues to evolve various rescue teams have been established and ready to respond to any type of emergency event. We are staffed with a Dive Team with 23 Public Safety Divers and 2 in-house NAUI certified Dive Instructors ready to respond to water rescue events. The USAR (Urban, Search, and Rescue) Team is trained in 5 different specialized technical disciplines ready to respond to anything from building collapses to high angle rescue. The Hazmat Team is assembled and extensively trained to respond to threats of dangerous or hazardous materials or other type of biological threats.
In 2016 the Key West Fire Department obtained the distinction of becoming a Class One rated Fire Department. Less than 1% of the Nation’s fire departments have reached the designation as an ISO rated Class One Department. This rating is established by the Insurance Services Office and translates to lower homeowner insurance policies for the residents of Key West.
The men and women of the Key West Fire Department are dedicated to providing the best care and service to the residents and visitor of Key West.
