Dixie County Fire Services

Dixie County Fire Rescue (DCFR) is a combination career/volunteer department serving the Big Bend area of Northern Florida, covering approximately 700 square miles and a resident population of about 17,000. The department runs four full-time career stations and six volunteer stations spread across Cross City, Old Town, Jena, Horseshoe Beach, and Suwannee, and handles roughly 4,000 calls a year, with about 40% being fire-related incidents. Beyond fire suppression, prevention, and inspections, DCFR provides emergency medical care, Community Paramedicine/Mobile Integrated Healthcare, and county emergency management.

The department fields about 80 members, roughly 60% of whom are trained to at least the state-required Firefighter I and First Responder level. Volunteers are trained locally at no cost through Firefighter I (230 hours) and First Responder Medical Training (40 hours) courses taught by the department itself. DCFR is presently expanding, working to add ten staff members and two additional stations to keep pace with a growing county.

Specialized capabilities include a joint Dive Team operated with the Dixie County Sheriff's Office, responding countywide to drowning investigations, water-related recoveries, and boating incidents, and a department Honor Guard that represents DCFR at ceremonial events statewide. Ambulance transport is billed under Medicare Part B's national fee schedule, and medical records requests are handled through a dedicated records custodian.

Dixie County Fire Rescue is currently accepting applications for full-time Firefighter/Paramedic and Paramedic positions, and is in the process of adding 10 additional staff members and 2 additional stations to serve the county's growth.