Department History

In late 1957 the bay for the Fire Department was completed along with the adjoining City Hall.  It wasn't until 1959 that the first fire engine arrived.  An old, yet functional engine was purchased from the Cocoa Beach Fire Department for $50.  Chief "Shine" Hedgecock chuckled as he described the truck by saying that a Bucket Brigade would be more adequate.

Satellite Beach was rapidly growing in the early 1960's and soon a well-equipped 750 gpm pumper, still owned by Brevard County, was delivered to the station. The loaner was made possible by County Commissioner, Joe Wickham and County Fire Chief, Jerry Brubaker who worked with Shine and the SBVFD Fire Commissioner, Lou Pavlakos.

In 1963 a Ford van was added to the fleet as a utility/rescue vehicle. It was purchased by the Volunteer Department with funds raised during Fish Frys.  Months later the City purchased a brand-new Seagrave 750 gpm pumper which allowed Satellite Beach to meet the required classification for a large fire insurance reduction. The two 750 gpm pumpers proved to be the workhorses for the Fire Department throughout the remainder of the 1960's.

In 2004, the department increased its staffing by six personnel to allow for a five-person shift, 4-person minimum to enable responses to concurrent emergency calls in the City, maintaining two ALS fire engines, 24/7.  This also allowed the department to meet the state's two in, two out standard.  In 2008, the department started its Community Medic Program (CMP) and Communities for a Lifetime initiative, providing the community with resources to age gracefully in their homes.

In the 2010's, the department began specializing in tech rescue with a focus on rope operations, confined space and vehicle machinery rescue.  During this time, the department upgraded to Ferrara Rescue Pumpers, allowing us to carry more tech rescue equipment in addition to our fire and EMS capabilities.  The department embraced the cancer prevention initiative by providing the personnel with back-up gear to swap out after a fire.  This allowed for post-incident cleaning of gear to remove cancer causing particles.

The 2020's have seen the addition of a new and more progressive medical director, overseeing the CMP and all EMS functions of the department.  In 2025, the department relocated to its new fire station.  This state-of-the-art facility has the latest in cancer preventing equipment and is designed to carry the department well into the future.