History of the Safety Harbor Fire Department

The City of Safety Harbor first proposed organizing a fire department in February of 1915.  Between August 1915 and June 1917, the City purchased fire equipment and organized the Volunteer Bucket Brigade. The method of sounding an alarm was firing a gun into the air.

On September 1, 1917 a fire erupted in the downtown area and the Volunteer Bucket Brigade was unable to contain the fire.  Help was requested and received from the Tampa and St. Petersburg Fire Departments.  With this help, the blaze was stopped at the Post Office but unfortunately, most of Main Street was destroyed.

In July of 1923 the City purchased a secondhand American LaFrance fire truck. The following year, a building was erected to house the fire truck, and in July of 1925, the first fire ordinances and building safety laws were established by the City Commission.

The next growth spurt occurred in May of 1927 when the city organized its first volunteer fire department.

In September 1929, because of the depression, all city services were discontinued with the exception of the Fire Department.

A new building for the police and fire departments was constructed in 1941. Because of the war, firefighters were trained in first aid and bomb disposal in addition to firefighting.

Today, the department has evolved into a professional Fire Department which provides a wide variety of community-oriented services. Our firefighters are constantly training to improve their abilities to provide these services with care, compassion and professionalism.