Fire Department · Career
Garner Fire-Rescue Department
Garner, NC · Wake County
“Protecting life and property on the foundation of our past”
No active openings right now
Watch this department to be notified when Garner Fire-Rescue Department is hiring, or check their careers page.
Department careers page ↗Garner Fire-Rescue traces its roots to 1952, when a small band of volunteers ran calls out of a single station and reported fires by phone to the local beauty parlor, which rang a bell to summon them. Over the following decades the department grew from an all-volunteer nonprofit corporation into a fully career, 24/7 organization, adding stations, ladder companies, and a dedicated Special Operations Crew as Garner grew from a small community south of Raleigh into a busy Wake County suburb.
On July 1, 2025, Garner Fire-Rescue completed a multi-year unification process and became a municipal department of the Town of Garner, ending its history as an independent nonprofit corporation while keeping its personnel, stations, and service area intact. The department now operates five stations covering roughly 80 square miles inside and outside town limits, holds international accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), and has earned a Class 1 ISO Public Protection Classification within the Town of Garner — a rating held by less than 1% of departments nationwide.
Garner Fire-Rescue runs suppression, EMS first response, technical rescue, and community risk reduction out of its five stations, including the newest, a co-located public safety facility on Caddy Road shared with Garner Police and Wake County EMS that opened in 2024.
MissionWe are dedicated to protecting life and property of our community by building our future on the foundation of our past.
Firefighter hiring for Garner Fire-Rescue is handled by the Town of Garner's Human Resources department through the Town's online employment portal rather than the fire department directly. The department also keeps an Employment Interest Form on file for people who want to be notified when firefighter recruitment opens. Garner Fire-Rescue became a Town of Garner municipal department on July 1, 2025, so firefighters hired today are Town employees rather than employees of the former nonprofit corporation.
How do I become a firefighter with Garner Fire-Rescue?
Firefighter hiring is handled by the Town of Garner's Human Resources department through the Town's online careers portal at garnernc.gov/careers, not by the fire department directly. Garner Fire-Rescue also keeps an Employment Interest Form on file so interested applicants can be notified when recruitment opens.
Is Garner Fire-Rescue a career or volunteer department?
Garner Fire-Rescue is now a career department. It began in 1952 as an all-volunteer nonprofit corporation, Garner Fire-Rescue, Inc., and became a municipal department of the Town of Garner on July 1, 2025. As of 2026, the department states it is not accepting additional volunteer firefighters.
What is Garner Fire-Rescue's ISO rating?
The Town of Garner received a Class 1 ISO Public Protection Classification (PPC), effective September 6, 2022 — a rating held by fewer than 1% of fire departments. The surrounding unincorporated "Garner Suburban" area outside town limits carries a split Class 3/9E rating.
How many stations does Garner Fire-Rescue operate?
Garner Fire-Rescue operates five fire stations, each staffed around the clock, covering roughly 80 square miles in and around the Town of Garner, including the Caddy Road Public Safety Station opened in 2024, which it shares with Garner Police and Wake County EMS.
Is Garner Fire-Rescue accredited?
Yes. Garner Fire-Rescue achieved international accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) on July 19, 2021, placing it among fewer than 300 accredited agencies nationwide out of nearly 30,000 U.S. fire departments.