Miami Beach’s seven square miles has grown from a small village of 33 registered voters in 1915 to a modern city of 100,000+ residents (in 1993). A vacation favorite of millions from all over the world, our population can, and often does, double on any given weekend. Originally incorporated as the town of Ocean City in 1915 and the City of Miami Beach in 1917, it was not until 1920 before the first fire engine was purchased and a fire station opened.

Originally only one station and 28 men, Miami Beach Fire Dept. now has approximately 200 firefighters, four stations, four engines, two ladders, six rescues and an Air Truck. We have a Fire Prevention Bureau with Plans Analysts and Fire Inspectors and a Support Services Division.

Working three shifts, 24 on/48 off with an R day every three weeks, we should easily clear 19,000 calls this year. We have an ISO Class 2 rating and are nationally accredited by the Committee on Fire Accreditation International.

The department has seen everything from the 1925 land boom, the devastating hurricane of 1926 that flattened much of Miami Beach, the creation of the Rescue Division in about 1968, the 1973 Concord fire, the 1980’s McDuffie riots, the Fontana fire of 1990, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Decades later and with the advent of smoke detectors and sprinklers and with the predominance of cellular phones, we’re seeing fewer large fires and more rescue calls.

We have designated rescue swimmers on each unit and SWAT medics working with the police department. With the disasters of 9/11 we’ve been training in Weapons of Mass Destruction in Anniston, AL, New Mexico and the Nevada Test Site, Las Vegas. We’ve formed up a Florida Urban Search and Rescue team and have re-certified those (~20) members in Vehicle and Machinery Extrication, Trench, Confined Space, Dive, Swift Water and Rope Rescue.