Gwinnett Fire/ES Celebrating 40th Anniversary

Join the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services Sunday afternoon in celebrating 40 years of saving lives and protecting property. 

To celebrate its 40th Anniversary, Gwinnett Fire/Emergency Services is inviting citizens and business representatives to attend open houses at their respective community fire stations from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 20, the department announced. Afternoon activities will include tours of the fire stations, apparatus and equipment displays, and fire and safety information and tips. 

Open House Locations

Duluth open house sites include Fire Station No. 5 at 3001 Old Norcross Road, No. 7 at 3343 Bunten Road, and No. 19 at 3275 North Berkeley Lake Road. For more information visit the Gwinnett Fire/Emergency Services website. 

The Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services is the largest fire protection district in Georgia. The department covers an area of 437 square miles and protects a population of 800,000 people. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners presented a proclamation recognizing the department’s anniversary at its March 15 meeting.

 History

The Gwinnett County Fire Department was formed 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 highly trained and skilled 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.   

The idea of a countywide fire department emanated from the tireless efforts of then District 2 Commissioner Ray Gunnin. He supported fire protection as a result of seven deaths in 1967 in the Pinckneyville/Norcross area and because of tremendous industrial growth in the late 60s and early 80s in the county, according to the announcement.

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. In comparison, the 2011 budget totals $76 million.

The department continued to expand in order to meet the needs of a diverse and growing community. In 1986, it acquired the ambulance service from the hospital authority. Since that time, the department has committed itself to delivering quality pre-hospital emergency medical care in addition to traditional firefighting. Over the years the department also has expanded its services to include hazardous materials response, swiftwater rescue and technical rescue.

Statistics

In 2010, the department responded to 63,000 emergency incidents, conducted 11,375 building inspections, and provided 1,526 fire and life safety programs. Gwinnett Fire/Emergency Services 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. 

                                          Historical Timeline

Time Period

Number of Fire Stations

Number of Personnel

1971

1

10

1980

12

213

1990

18

463

2000

23

560

2011

30

850