Administration

Engine 61 and Rescue 62 at Florida Polytechnic University

Fire Administration and Fire Station 1 with beautiful Lake Mirror and Downtown Lakeland in the background.

Fire Station 7, the newest station addition at the department.

The Administration Division of the Lakeland Fire Department is responsible for support services for the Lakeland Fire Department. These services include: 

1) Developing, managing, and executing the overall fire department budget

2) Overseeing fire department facilities, apparatus, equipment, gear, and supplies 

The Administrative Chief has a staff of one Accounting Clerk and a maintenance team of three. In addition to maintenance and accounts payable, the main responsibility of the administration division is to manage the department’s entire budget which includes managing the day to day expenditures, the fire department’s budget within the fiscal year, planning next year’s budget, and budgetary long-range planning for the future. 

The Administrative Division is responsible for maintenance and upkeep of existing fire department facilities, which includes seven fire stations, a maintenance and storage facility, a training facility, and an administrative building. This is accomplished in cooperation with fellow City of Lakeland departments like the Facilities Division. Additionally, all new building projects related to the department are overseen by this division.

The department’s substantial fleet of fire apparatus and staff vehicles is managed by the Maintenance Division. This includes fire engines, aerial apparatuses, a heavy rescue vehicle, non-transport rescue vehicles, two ARFF vehicles, and staff cars. The Lakeland Fire Department is unique in that it is one of the few remaining fire department’s to have an internal maintenance team to ensure the equipment needed to provide front line emergency services is always at optimal performance and available for emergency response.

This is accomplished by Lakeland Fire Department’s maintenance team that consists of a Fire Equipment Supervisor and two Fire Equipment Mechanics. These skilled mechanics, who are also certified firefighters, perform maintenance and repairs of the entire Lakeland Fire Department fleet and each holds multiple Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) certifications including a total of nine master technician categories.

The maintenance team, as part of Administration, is also responsible for the maintenance and repair of all apparatus equipment, hydraulic and electrical equipment maintenance, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and station generators. The division is also responsible for the annual National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) testing of the department’s aerials, fire pumps, and ground ladders. Additionally, the Administrative Division is responsible for the acquisition, distribution, and replacement of all fire department gear, clothing, and supplies for all fire department divisions.