Apex Fire Department

Apex Fire Department's origins trace to 1927, when Fire Chief J.L. Castleberry organized an early company around an American LaFrance truck, and then formally to 1939, when nineteen townspeople chartered a volunteer department after concluding the growing town needed organized fire protection. That first crew ran calls out of a converted dump truck bought for $35; by 1954 the town had built a three-bay brick firehouse downtown that still serves today as Station 1, expanded with additional bays in 1961 and again in the 1970s as the department grew alongside Apex.

Today the department operates from six stations across Apex and neighboring New Hill, running a fleet that includes Battalion 5 and 6 command units, Engines 31, 32, 34, 35, and 36, Ladders 34 and 35, and Rescue 33. In 2025 crews answered 5,309 calls for service (8,419 total unit responses), a 7.53% increase over the prior year, with the large majority being EMS and rescue calls alongside structure fires, vehicle fires and accidents, technical rescues, and gas leaks. The department states its mission as being "to selflessly serve by proactive risk reduction, operational readiness, and effective response in the pursuit of organizational excellence."

Beyond emergency response, Apex Fire Department runs an active risk-reduction and community-engagement program, logging over 1,300 annual fire inspections, thousands of hours of live and facility-based crew training, and outreach efforts like the Camp Ignite youth education program that reach tens of thousands of community members each year. The department is led by Fire Chief Tim Herman, supported by two assistant chiefs overseeing operations and professional standards/training.

Firefighter and other Apex Fire Department positions are posted on the Town of Apex's online career portal alongside other town jobs; applications are accepted online only, with in-person application assistance available at the Town's Human Resources office.