History

Hardeeville Fire Department was organized in the mid-1950s. It began as a volunteer organization that ran out of a gas station. The response area covered the entire southern half of Jasper County.

Focused Efforts

In the late 1980s, the Levy Fire Department was created which assumed the response area of the southernmost portion of Jasper County. This greatly reduced response times to some very remote areas enabling the Hardeeville Fire Department to become more focused in our efforts. Over the years, the Department has evolved into the organization it is today.

Immediate Responses

Hardeeville Fire and Rescue is a municipal, combination fire department. We are a rapidly growing community with a budget based on tax dollars primarily funded by the City of Hardeeville. We operate two stations; firefighters work a 24/48 schedule. This allows an immediate initial response supplemented by volunteers and mutual aid companies. We have approximately 1,400 responses annually.

Response Area

Our initial response area covers approximately 75 square miles; including 13 miles of Interstate 95, 22.5 miles of U.S. highways, and 15 miles of CSX and Amtrak railroad. We are a major truck route for the Georgia Ports Authority via U.S. Highways 17, 278, and 321, and Interstate 95. We are located at the South Carolina/Georgia border between Savannah, Georgia, and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge borders our district, as well as the busiest Welcome Center in the State.

Jasper County

We are contracted with Jasper County to provide services outside of the City limits and have just finalized an expansion of the contract to encompass another County district.

A study coordinated with Jasper County and all of its municipalities shows the 20-year population estimate for the City of Hardeeville to be in excess of 126,000 permanent residents. Our current protected population is approximately 7,000.