Frequently Asked Questions

 Your call is answered by a trained telecommunicator to gather your information, initiate an appropriate response, and provide instructions or information before the ambulance arrives. 

 in Putnam County when an ambulance is called to a medical call, Crescent City Fire Rescue will also respond to assist EMS with the needs of our citizens. 

Crescent City Fire Rescue does not charge for any emergency when a fire truck comes to your home or location. EMS will not charge for responding to a call unless the ambulance transports to the hospital. 

 Yes, we will install and or inspect smoke detectors, C02 detectors, and fire extinguishers at no charge to the citizens. 

 Anyone requesting to burn within the city limits must obtain a burn permit through our fire department.

The process is to call or come by Crescent City Fire Department and fill out our information paperwork. There will be an onsite inspection to be sure you are within the setback requirements.  The burn permit number will be the date plus whatever number of requests for the day is.  Example 2-7-23-1   2-7-23-2 and so on. 

 Crescent City Fire Rescue is aware of concerns and questions within the community regarding site clearing debris burns on large development sites and homeowners burning yard trash in their yards. Crescent City Fire rescue does not have the legal ability or regulatory authority to manage or control burnings out of Crescent City limits related to residential development, large land clearing, agriculture, or silviculture, and homeowners legally burning on their property. State of Florida statute authorizes the Florida Forest Service to regulate these types of site-clearing debris burns. In addition, Crescent City Fire rescue does not have the ability to regulate prescribed burns in forested areas or on public lands that are conducted by state or federal agencies. For additional information regarding state-regulated site clearing debris burns or prescribed burns, please visit  www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Wildland-Fire/Burn-Authorizations, or call the Florida Forest Service at  (352) 395-4951. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection regulates air quality and can also be reached at (904) 256-1553. If you feel a fire is illegal, not permitted, or out of compliance please call Putnam County Sheriff's Office communications non-emergency line at (386) 329-0800 and request a fire department truck be sent to investigate.   

   The purpose of emergency warning equipment is to let drivers and pedestrians know that an emergency vehicle is on the way to an emergency. By Florida state law, we do have certain privileges extended to us. Those being, to carefully and safely proceed through controlled intersections and travel against the designated flow of traffic. These privileges have rules that the legislation and department policy put on the drivers of these emergency vehicles. The main rule is that we cannot do these things unless there are lights flashing and sirens going. Even in the middle of the night.  

    Please contact Putnam County Department of Emergency Services at 386-329-0379  

     Because we are volunteers each fire truck may only carry one firefighter or a limited amount of water. It is necessary to have enough firefighters and water on the scene of an incident to control the emergency. There are a number of specialized roles that firefighters undertake at the scene of a fire, and firefighting is a very labor-intensive activity. If you get behind because there are not enough firefighters on the call, it is more difficult to extinguish a fire quickly.  

   To ensure the most effective service at the time of an emergency, our crews must remain in their designated response territory with their fire trucks during their entire shift. Our crews work shifts with no scheduled breaks, and meals are not provided by the station. Personnel on each shift must purchase their own food and prepare their own meals, so they may make a daily trip to the grocery store within their first due area to buy whatever they need to prepare their meals for the entire shift.   Fire crews do not have to be sitting in the fire station to be dispatched to a call. Since all our units maintain constant radio contact with Fire Communications and the entire crew must always be together with their truck, they are always ready to respond to any emergency, regardless of their current location or non-emergency assignment. Very often, our firefighters spend long periods of their day running calls, without returning to the station or stopping to eat, and they frequently have to return to the grocery store several times to finish purchasing food that they might not get a chance to cook during the shift.