Fort Myers Shores Fire Department

What Fort Myers Shores Fire Department does

Fort Myers Shores Fire Department (legal name: Fort Myers Shores Fire Protection and Rescue Service District) is a statutorily created special fire district established in 1976 under Chapter 76-409 of the Laws of Florida and operating in East Lee County, Florida. The District provides "all-hazards" emergency services — fire suppression, emergency medical services at the EMT-Basic and Paramedic level, technical and special operations rescue (including confined space, rope, trench, technical extrication, hazardous incident response), and swift water rescue along the Caloosahatchee River boundary — to residents and visitors across a 16-square-mile footprint that includes East Fort Myers, Alva, Verandah, and River Hall. Service is delivered 24 hours per day from two strategically placed fire stations (Station 81 on Palm Beach Boulevard and Station 82 in Alva), each staffed by three rotating shifts working a 24-hours-on / 48-hours-off schedule under Captain-led crews of Engineers and Firefighters. All operations personnel are Florida State Certified Firefighters and EMTs, with several also holding Paramedic, Fire Officer II, and Public Safety skin diver certifications.

The District is governed by a five-member elected Board of Fire Commissioners responsible for setting the millage rate, hiring the Fire Chief, and approving the budget. Day-to-day command rests with Fire Chief Robert Rewis (appointed December 2022 following the retirement of Christopher Dowaliby), supported by a Deputy Chief of Operations, a Fire Marshal, and an Administrative Assistant; the broader operations force includes up to 10 volunteer firefighters in addition to full-time career staff. Underlying technology is conventional: standard fire suppression apparatus, EMS equipment, technical rescue gear, and surface/swift water rescue equipment, with no disclosed software platforms, IT systems, or digital automation infrastructure. Community-facing services include CPR training classes, annual business fire inspections, new construction fire inspections, pre-fire planning, and public education programs; the District also holds a Section 508/WCAG 2.0 A and AA-compliant website.

The District's revenue model is tax-based rather than commercial. It is authorized under Chapter 2000-456 to levy (i) Ad Valorem taxes of up to 3.00 mills ($3.00 per $1,000 of taxable assessed value as set annually by the Lee County Property Appraiser), which fund all operational functions including salaries; (ii) Impact Fees on new construction, restricted by statute to capital improvements required to serve new growth and not usable for salaries or operating expenses; and (iii) User Fees for fire inspections and related services. There are no enterprise customers, contracts, or commercial sales — the "customer base" is the entire residential and visitor population within the District's statutory boundaries, which has no alternative provider.

Name

Fort Myers Shores Fire Department

Legal name

Fort Myers Shores Fire Protection and Rescue Service District

Website

https://fmsfd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fort Myers Shores Fire Department is a Florida special fire protection and rescue service district providing 24/7 all-hazards emergency services — fire suppression, EMS, technical rescue, and swift water rescue — to residents and visitors across a 16-square-mile East Lee County footprint from two staffed fire stations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Protection and Rescue Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Ambulance Services (621910)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Fire Prevention, Inspection & Code Enforcement (Life Safety) (BPAIAGAL)

Keywords

• Fire suppression services
• Emergency medical services
• Technical rescue operations
• Fire inspection services
• Swift water rescue

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Myers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ad Valorem Taxes: The District levies Ad Valorem taxes of up to 3.00 mills, or $3.00 per $1,000.00 of taxable assessed value as determined annually by the Lee County Property Appraiser. Ad Valorem taxes are used to fund all operational functions of the District.
2. Impact Fees: The District charges Impact Fees on new construction, the use of which is restricted to capital improvements necessary to provide service for new growth. Impact Fees cannot be used for salaries or any of the District's normal operational expenses.
3. User Fees: The District charges fees for various fire inspections including annual business fire inspections and new construction fire inspections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Fort Myers Shores Fire Protection and Rescue Service District is an "All-Hazards" professional fire department providing fire suppression, emergency medical services (EMT-B and Paramedic), technical and special operations rescue, and fire prevention/inspection services 24 hours a day across a 16-square-mile district in East Lee County, Florida, served by two strategically placed fire stations. Specialized surface and swift water rescue coverage along the Caloosahatchee River is provided by Public Safety skin diver certified personnel. The district also delivers community CPR classes and pre-fire planning to residents, businesses, and visitors within its statutory boundaries.

Product overview

Fort Myers Shores Fire Department is a government fire protection and rescue service district providing an integrated suite of emergency and preventive services. The department operates from two fire stations (Station 81 in Fort Myers and Station 82 in Alva) serving 16 square miles. Core services include fire suppression, emergency medical services (EMT-B and EMT-P), and technical rescue operations. Specialized capabilities include swift water rescue along the Caloosahatchee River, performed by Public Safety skin diver certified personnel. The department also offers CPR training classes, fire inspection services (business, new construction, and pre-fire planning), and maintains an active recruitment program for volunteer and full-time firefighters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Suppression Services Fire suppression response covering structural fires, vehicle fires, and wild land/brush fires throughout the Fort Myers Shores Fire Protection and Rescue Service District, delivered 24/7 by Florida State Certified Firefighters from two fire stations.
• Emergency Medical Services Emergency medical response and transport provided by Florida State Certified Emergency Medical Technicians-Basic (EMT-B) and Paramedics (EMT-P) across the district, supporting Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support.
• Technical and Special Operations Rescue Specialized rescue operations covering confined space rescue, rope rescue, trench rescue, technical extrication, and hazardous incident response, delivered by trained and equipped operations personnel.
• Swift Water Rescue Surface and swift water rescue operations along the Caloosahatchee River and within pools, canals, and other man-made waterways, performed by Public Safety skin diver certified operations members.
• Fire Inspection Services Fire inspection services for businesses and new construction within the district, including annual business fire inspections, new construction fire inspections, and pre-fire planning of buildings; subject to the District's published user-fee schedule.
• CPR Training Classes CPR training classes and information provided to community members as part of the district's public education and preparedness mission.
• Public Education and Community Outreach Public education assignments and community outreach initiatives delivered by the department to promote fire prevention awareness and community involvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 emergency response capability with three shifts working 24 hours on, 48 hours off
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Iona McGregor Fire District: Adjacent Lee County special fire district providing all-hazards emergency response, fire prevention, and EMS, sharing FMSFD's regulatory framework, service mix, and Florida-chartered special-district governance model.
• Estero Fire Rescue: Lee County fire rescue district providing fire suppression, ALS EMS, and rescue services with a similar all-hazards mandate and millage-based funding, serving a comparable Southwest Florida residential/commercial footprint.
• Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District: Lee County special fire district delivering fire suppression, EMS, and technical rescue to a large suburban service area, with overlapping all-hazards service lines and similar tax-based funding structure as FMSFD.
• San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District: Neighboring special fire protection and rescue service district in Lee County, FL, similarly chartered under Florida law, providing fire suppression and EMS across a comparable residential footprint with a similar Ad Valorem millage funding model.
• Bayshore Fire Rescue: Lee County fire rescue agency where Fire Chief Rewis began as a volunteer; operates an analogous mix of fire, EMS, and rescue services and shares the same regional labor and certification pool as FMSFD.
• South Trail Fire & Rescue: Special fire and rescue district in southern Lee County, FL, delivering comparable fire suppression, EMS, and rescue services under a similar independent-district governance and tax-funding structure.

Regional players

• North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District: Special fire and rescue district in neighboring Collier County with a closely analogous all-hazards service mix, tax-based funding, and district governance—comparable in model though serving a different Southwest Florida county.
• Charlotte County Fire and EMS: County-level fire and EMS provider in adjacent Charlotte County delivering fire suppression, ALS EMS, and rescue services; comparable in mission and service portfolio though operating at county-government scale rather than as a small special district.

Broad incumbents

• Cape Coral Fire Department: Larger municipal fire department in Lee County offering a comprehensive suite of fire, EMS, technical rescue, and prevention services; a broad incumbent that operates at a much larger scale than FMSFD but in the same market.
• Lee County Public Safety (Lee County EMS): County-wide public safety authority that provides EMS and emergency management across Lee County, overlapping FMSFD's ambulance/EMS function and serving as the broader regional public-safety incumbent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fort-myers-shores-fire-department

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Fort Myers Shores Fire Department