(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 11, 2011) - The Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services is celebrating 40 years of saving lives and protecting property. 

To celebrate its 40^th Anniversary, the department is inviting citizens and business professionals to attend an open house at their community fire station on Sunday, March 20, 2011, from 2 to 4 p.m. Activities will include tours of the fire station, apparatus and equipment displays, and public fire and life safety education information.  In addition, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners will present a Proclamation recognizing the Department's anniversary at their meeting on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at GJAC.

The Gwinnett County Fire Department was born in January 1971 and responded to its first emergency call on March 30, 1971, at 10:15 a.m. Since that time, the department has evolved to become a premier fire and emergency medical services provider. "The citizens of Gwinnett County are served by some of the most highly skilled and dedicated fire and emergency medical professionals anywhere in the country," said Gwinnett Fire Chief Bill Myers.   

Our history

The idea of a countywide fire department was based on the tireless efforts of then District 2 Commissioner Ray Gunnin. He supported fire protection based on the deaths of seven people in 1967 in the Pinckneyville/Norcross area and because of tremendous industrial growth in the late sixties and early seventies. The County purchased a fire truck and equipment from the city of Norcross and leased the city's fire station. The department hired its first two employees, Ray Mattison and Tom Griffin, in January 1971. On February 15, 1971, eight additional personnel were hired, and a six-week basic training course was conducted. The additional personnel included: Richard Garner, Homer Gilstrap, Russell Smith, Dickie Howard, Karl Donehoo, David Roper, Ronald Earwood and Jeff Huff.  A new fire truck was ordered and received in March 1971 and a budget of $89,000 was adopted. The reputation of the fire department spread and was well-received by citizens and businesses alike. 

The department continued to expand in order to meet the needs of a diverse and growing community. Several key events in the early years left a lasting impression on the level of service provided today. The most influential was the acquisition of the ambulance service from the hospital authority in 1986. Since that time, the department has committed itself to delivering quality pre-hospital emergency medical care in addition to traditional firefighting. 

Today, the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services is the largest fire protection district in the state of Georgia.  The department covers an area of 437 square miles and protects a population of 800,000 people.  Over the years the department has expanded its services to include: hazardous materials response, swiftwater rescue and technical rescue.

In 2010, the department responded to 63,000 emergency incidents, conducted 11,375 building inspections, and provided 1,526 fire and life safety programs. The department employs 850 personnel and responds from 30 strategically placed community fire stations. The department made history recently when it opened three fire stations on the same day and hired its largest basic firefighter recruit training class.  The men and women of the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services are highly skilled and highly trained professionals. The department prides itself on providing service excellence to the citizens and visitors of Gwinnett County.