The Operations Division is the largest and most recognized area of Gainesville Fire Rescue.  Led by Deputy Chief Gene Prince, Operations manages the day-to-day activities of GFR.

There are three major sections of the Operations Division: Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF).

For the Fire Rescue side, all firefighters are hired as certified firefighters by the State of Florida.  Those that are not yet state-certified are required to attend the Florida State Fire College. There are no volunteer firefighters for Gainesville Fire Rescue.  While there are volunteer opportunities within the Department, firefighting is handled by career firefighters who maintain the highest level of skill and ability.  For additional information about firefighting efforts in GFR, click on the Fire Operations link below.

On the EMS side, each emergency unit has at least one paramedic on board operating under the authority of the Department's Medical Director, Dr. Joseph Layon.  All personnel are either Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or Paramedics and respond to dozens of emergency medical calls every day, including heart attacks, allergic reactions, injuries from vehicle crashes and general illnesses. See the link for EMS Operations (below) for more detailed information.

Lastly, there is a specific level of response for aircraft emergencies, and Gainesville Fire Rescue is responsible for one of the busiest airports in north central Florida.  Fire Station 6 serves the Airport property and has personnel on-duty 24 hours a day, even when there is no flight activity, in case of an in-flight emergency that has to divert to Gainesville.  More information about GFR's ARFF program can be found on the link below.

In 2005 Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to 9,948 EMS Calls - 2,033 Alarms - 1,223 Fire Calls -588 Hazardous Materials Incidents and 252 Other Types of Calls, including Service Calls for a total of 14,744 incident responses. 

In 2006 Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to 10,241 EMS Calls - 1,806 Alarms - 1,340 Fire Calls - 579 Hazardous Materials Incidents and 194 Other Types of Calls, including Service Calls for a total of 14,160 incident responses.

In 2007 Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to 11,157 EMS Calls - 1,830 Alarms - 1,347 Fire Calls - 594 Hazardous Materials Incidents and 199 Other Types of Calls, including Service Calls for a total of 15,127 incident responses.

Many of the non-EMS responses by GFR include multiple companies:  for example, a response to a house fire starts with Two Engines, One Truck, One Squad, and one District Chief.  This configuration of 2-1-1-1 is known as a "full complement."  The total number of unit responses for 2006 was 22,248- the total for 2007 was 22,176.