A Message From Fire Chief Collin DeWitt
The
notion of fire protection has been alive and well in Gilbert since 1923
and transitioned from a band of valiant volunteers, through a private
contracted fire service to a modern municipal fire department. The department
is placed in a community that is distinguished by its spectacular growth,
open spaces, no-rise downtown and Joe’s Real Barbeque.
The fire department has accelerated its growth to keep pace with that of the community it protects. It has added 4 new stations in the past 4 years and has a very aggressive capital improvement plan that includes a regional training facility and 4 additional fire stations to a total of eleven. The personnel that staff and operate the department total 119 with 103 of them sworn-firefighters. There is an active Fire Prevention Division that performs fire plans review, code compliance, fire investigation, public education and emergency management. The department is the first responder for emergency medical services and also delivers advanced life support from its contingency of firefighters. While it does not provide ambulance transportation, its fire paramedics may accompany seriously ill or injured in the private emergency ambulance.
Not unlike other progressive fire departments, the Gilbert Fire Department is a developing organization that compliments the efforts of its automatic aid counterparts in their respective communities and provides the greatest level of service to those who live, work and visit in the Town of Gilbert.