Southern Manatee Fire Rescue

Southern Manatee Fire Rescue District is a Florida independent special district organized under Chapter 191 of the Florida Statutes, governed by an elected five-member Board of Fire Commissioners and funded through ad valorem and non-ad valorem assessments, user fees, and impact fees. The district operates out of five fire stations plus an administrative headquarters on Trailmate Drive in Sarasota, and its personnel work a three-shift schedule (A, B, and C shift).

The district provides structural fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical response, including an Advanced Life Support paramedic engine based at Station 5 that operates under the Manatee County Medical Director's protocols for medical, cardiac, trauma, and pediatric calls. Since 2014, Manatee County has delegated all hazardous materials response countywide to SMFR's Special Operations Division, a Type I hazmat team (Team #HM-6F) staffed by more than 30 Florida State Certified Hazardous Materials Technicians spread across the department's three shifts, responding to natural gas leaks, chemical releases, clandestine lab incidents, and other hazmat emergencies for partner agencies throughout the county.

Beyond emergency response, the department runs public fire-prevention and life-safety programs, including school and daycare fire-safety education, a child car-seat safety program, and community CPR/AED classes, and it publishes its budgets, meeting minutes, and other governance documents online in keeping with its status as a Florida special district.

Southern Manatee Fire Rescue District posts open positions (both uniformed and civilian/administrative roles) on its website as they become available, with applications and resumes submitted by email or fax to the district's administrative office in Sarasota.