Okaloosa Island Fire District

What Okaloosa Island Fire District does

Okaloosa Island Fire District (OIFD) is a special fire control district established in 1977 under Florida state law, headquartered at 104 Santa Rosa Blvd, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548, where it occupies the Okaloosa Island Public Safety Center (James F Hooks Public Safety Center). The district provides 24/7 fire suppression, Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic-level emergency medical care, and a broad suite of specialized rescue services — including water rescue, beach rescue, boat accident response, elevator rescue, hazardous material response, confined space rescue, high-angle rescue, motor vehicle accident response with Jaws-of-Life capability, and missing person/child search and rescue. It also operates fire and life safety inspections, building plans review, and a Fire Prevention program with annual inspections, while functioning as a Hurricane Command Center/Emergency Operations Center and Point of Distribution for Okaloosa County.

The district's underlying operational technology is fleet-based and equipment-driven rather than software-driven: five primary apparatus vehicles (Engine 4, Truck 4, Engine 4-1, Beach 4, and AC4 Command Vehicle), all predominantly Pierce-manufactured, supported by Advanced Life Support medical capability. Coordination with neighboring agencies is achieved through Multi-Agency Automatic Aid Agreements and through physical co-location with Okaloosa County EMS (which operates Medic 9 out of the OIFD station), Okaloosa County Emergency Management, and the Florida Forest Service.

OIFD is a public governmental entity, not a private company. It is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners (Dr. George Edlund, Chairperson; Kathy Foster, Vice Chairperson; Paula N. Hudson, Secretary/Treasurer; Beth Jeter and Steven Scott, Commissioners) with Fire Chief Michael Ray Strawn leading operations. It is funded primarily by property tax levies (approximately $2.8 million annually per budget documents), supplemented by ancillary professional services revenue from plan review fees and fire/life safety inspection services. Its customers are the residents and property owners within its exclusive tax district boundaries plus the broader Okaloosa County population and tourism visitors; the district explicitly identifies travelers visiting Okaloosa Island beaches as a served constituent group, alongside a separate Okaloosa Island Firefighters Pension Trust Fund that it maintains.

Name

Okaloosa Island Fire District

Legal name

Okaloosa Island Fire District

Website

https://okaloosaislandfire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Okaloosa Island Fire District is a Florida special fire control district established in 1977, providing 24/7 fire suppression, paramedic-level emergency medical care, and specialized rescue services to Okaloosa Island residents, Okaloosa County residents, and visitors, funded primarily by property tax levies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Safety Fire and Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL), Fire & Life Safety Services (Inspection/Testing/Sprinklers/Alarms) (IMAIAAAI)

Keywords

• Fire suppression services
• Emergency medical services
• Fire prevention inspections
• Specialized rescue operations
• Public safety services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Walton Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Levies: Public safety services funded through property tax levies. Historical tax levy amounts include approximately $2.8 million annually based on budget documents.
2. Fire Prevention Services: Fire and Life Safety Inspections, Building Plans Review services provided to property owners and developers within the district.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Okaloosa Island Fire District provides 24/7 fire suppression, advanced emergency medical care at the paramedic level, and specialized rescue services (water, beach, hazardous materials, confined space, high-angle) to residents of Okaloosa Island, Okaloosa County, and regional visitors. The district also operates a fire prevention program with annual inspections, building plan reviews for fire code compliance, and serves as a Hurricane Command Center/Emergency Operations Center during disasters.

Product overview

Okaloosa Island Fire District is a government emergency services organization providing a comprehensive range of public safety services since 1977. The district operates as a unified emergency response system offering fire protection and suppression, advanced emergency medical care, and specialized rescue services including water rescue, beach rescue, hazardous material response, and high-angle rescue. The district also provides fire prevention programs, building inspections, and plan reviews. The fleet consists of five primary apparatus vehicles: Engine 4 (2009 Pierce), Truck 4 (2000 Pierce), Engine 4-1 (2003), Beach 4 (2014 Ford F-150 4x4), and AC4 Command Vehicle (2015 Ford Expedition EL 4x4).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Protection and Suppression 24/7 fire suppression services provided to residents and visitors of Okaloosa Island.
• Advanced Emergency Medical Care Advanced emergency medical care at the paramedic level available around the clock for residents and visitors.
• Water Rescue Water rescue operations for individuals in distress in local waterways.
• Beach Rescue Beach safety and rescue services for beachgoers on Okaloosa Island.
• Fire and Life Safety Inspection Fire safety inspections for commercial and residential properties within the district.
• Building Plans Review Review of building construction plans for fire code compliance; plan review fees apply.
• Hazardous Material Response Response to hazardous material incidents within the district.
• Hurricane Command Center / Emergency Operations Center Command center operations during hurricanes and emergencies for coordination, point of distribution, and emergency management operations.
• Fire Prevention Program Fire safety promotion through fire prevention education and annual inspections for Okaloosa Island residents.
• Motor Vehicle Accident Response Emergency response to motor vehicle accidents with Jaws-of-Life capabilities.
• Automatic and Mutual Aid Response Multi-Agency Automatic Aid Agreements with neighboring jurisdictions throughout Okaloosa County for mutual assistance.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Okaloosa CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1977Formal agreement with Okaloosa County establishing the fire district. Multi-Agency Automatic Aid Agreements for public safety with multiple jurisdictions throughout the county and surrounding communities.
• Okaloosa County Emergency Medical Services (EMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMS operates Medic 9 ambulance out of the OIFD station at 104 Santa Rosa Blvd, providing pre-hospital Advanced Life Support emergency medical care 24/7.
• Okaloosa County Emergency ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOIFD participates in Hurricane Command Center/Emergency Operations Center and Point of Distribution operations as part of county-wide emergency management coordination.
• Florida Forest ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination on outdoor burning regulations and forest fire laws for the area.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Fort Walton Beach Fire Department: Municipal fire department serving the City of Fort Walton Beach immediately adjacent to OIFD's Okaloosa Island service area. Direct regional peer for automatic-aid coordination and overlapping EMS coverage.
• Walton County EMS / Beach Safety: County-run beach safety and EMS program covering the South Walton beaches. Compares as a regional peer in beach/water rescue and ALS delivery for a similar tourist-driven coastal population.

Direct peers

• South Walton Fire District: Special fire control district serving Florida's adjacent Walton County beaches. Comparable as a tax-funded Florida coastal barrier-island fire district offering ALS, beach/water rescue, fire prevention, and plan review to a tourist-heavy population.
• Destin Fire Control District: Florida fire control district serving the Destin/Emerald Coast area. Highly comparable in geographic profile (Gulf Coast barrier islands), tax-funded structure, ALS capability, and tourist-driven service demand.
• Midway Fire District: Florida special fire control district with tax-levy funding and ALS-capable response. Comparable as a peer special district running fire suppression, EMS, and multi-agency automatic aid in the Panhandle region.
• Escambia County Fire Rescue: Florida Panhandle county fire rescue providing ALS and all-hazards response, including automatic-aid coordination across Northwest Florida. Comparable in operating environment and service mix to OIFD.
• North Bay Fire Control District: Florida fire control district providing fire suppression, ALS, and rescue services via a tax-levy model. Comparable governance and service bundle to OIFD in the same Northwest Florida region.
• Navarre Beach Fire District: Florida Gulf Coast barrier-island fire district providing fire suppression, EMS, and beach/water rescue. Closely comparable in service area profile, funding model, and tourism-dependent demand.

Others

• International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) peer directories: Industry association cataloging Florida special fire districts and coastal fire agencies; useful peer-mapping for benchmarking governance and funding structures, though not a direct commercial peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/okaloosa-island-fire-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Okaloosa Island Fire District