Hart County Fire Department

Hart County Fire Department is a combination department serving Hart County in the northeast Georgia foothills around Lake Hartwell, operating out of eight stations spread across the county. Each station is equipped with an E-One 1250 GPM engine, a tanker, a 950-gallon brush truck, and a 4x4 grass truck, with some stations also carrying reserve pumpers and air trucks for wildland response.

The department currently holds a 6/9 ISO Public Protection Classification rating and says it is working to improve that rating further. Firefighters who remain with the department's pension fund must complete at least 48 hours of station-level training and respond to half of the department's fire calls each year; the department itself provides a baseline of 96 hours of station training annually, and recently recognized members who completed NPQ Firefighter I certification.

The department describes itself as actively recruiting. New hires typically go through a background check and moral character review, then begin a Basic Firefighter Training academy on January 1 each year, with placement to a station following in November or December after physicals and paperwork are complete. Applicants who already hold a Georgia Basic Firefighter certification through GFA or GFSTC can join sooner by passing the required testing instead of waiting for the annual academy.

The department actively recruits and puts applicants through a background check and moral character review. New recruits typically start a Basic Firefighter Training academy each January 1, with placement to a station in November or December after completing physicals and paperwork. Candidates who already hold a Georgia Basic Firefighter certification (verified through GFA or GFSTC) can join sooner by passing the required testing rather than waiting for the annual academy start.