About Us
Lealman Volunteer Fire Company 1948
The Lealman Special Fire Control District has a rich history of providing exceptional fire, emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency management to the citizens of the Lealman Community, Pinellas County, the State of Florida and the Nation. Our ONLY mission is to save lives and protect property through education, prevention, and mitigation.
The Lealman Fire District was created in 1948 when the citizens of the Lealman Community recognized an urgent need for an organization to provide fire and first aid response in the community. In the 64 years since the creation of the Lealman Fire District, the organization has evolved from an all volunteer force to an all-career department staffed by 57 dedicated men and women. The Lealman Fire District has always been proactive and was one of the first fire departments to place in service an ALS rescue in Pinellas County in the late 1970’s. We continue to be proactive today providing our citizens with the highest level of service. In 2009, the Lealman Fire District was awarded a ten year agreement by Pinellas County to provide fire and EMS services for the Tierra Verde Dependent Fire District. The Lealman Fire District currently staffs three fire stations which operate a total of three Advance Life Support (ALS) Engines including Engine 19 and Engine 21 which are engines with a 61-foot aerial device, an ALS Transport-capable Rescue Truck, and a District Chief Vehicle in fulfilling our mission. In addition to the primary units, the Lealman Fire District has a reserve fleet of 2 rescues, 3 pumpers and 1 pumper with a 65-foot aerial device. The reserve fleet is utilized to ensure the continuation of service due to mechanical issues and is staffed during disaster situations.
The Fire Loss Management Division of the Lealman Fire District conducts approximately 900 fire safety inspections of commercial and multi-family properties annually. In addition to the fire safety inspections, the division is responsible for plans review of new and existing properties, final inspection of new construction and conducts origin and cause investigations at fire incidents. Fire Loss Management also partners with the Sheriff’s Office and Pinellas County Code Enforcement in developing a successful strategy to rid the community of blighted properties and to proactively enforce code compliance.
The Lealman Fire District is a strong partner in the Pinellas County Automatic Aid Agreement, Florida Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement and the National Emergency Management Assistance Compact. Under the Pinellas County Automatic Aid Agreement, the Lealman Fire District provides a slightly higher level of aid to the surrounding fire departments than it receives. The Lealman Fire District has responded to several incidents under the Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement including:
- 1998 Florida Wildfire Response, Volusia County
- 2000 “Park at Ybor” Complex Fire, City of Tampa
- 2004 Hurricane Charlie, Charlotte County
- 2004 Hurricane Ivan, Santa Rosa County
- 2004 Hurricane Jeanne, Palm Beach County
The Lealman Fire District responded as part of the Florida Task Force—Hurricane Katrina in 2005 under the National Emergency Management Assistance Compact operating in the devastated gulf counties of Mississippi.
The Lealman Fire District has adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS)and is in compliance with the NIMS requirements. All Lealman Fire District members have received the basic IMS 100, 200, 700 and 800 certificates. All officers have been certified in advanced IMS 300 and 400.
The Lealman Fire District has experience in contracting fire and EMS services in Pinellas County. Prior to 2000, the Lealman Fire District was contracted by the Pinellas County Fire Authority to provide fire service to the Lealman Community as a dependant district. The Lealman Fire District enjoyed a healthy relationship with Pinellas County during the contractual period. In 2000, the Lealman Fire District by legislative action and with overwhelming support of its citizens created the Lealman Special Fire Control District, an independent taxing district which is governed by a five member publicly elected fire commission. The Lealman Fire District still maintains a contractual relationship with Pinellas County to provide emergency medical services for the Lealman Community.
The Lealman Fire District responds to over 9,700 incidents annually making it the 6th busiest fire-service provider in Pinellas County. However, based on average incidents per station, the Lealman Fire District responds to more than twice the average incidents per station than any other service provider in Pinellas County while maintaining a four minute, twenty-nine second average response time. According to statistics provided by St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, the Lealman Fire District provides a lower cost service per medical incident than any of the other 19 service providers except the City of Dunedin. The Lealman Fire District provides a high level of service at a lower than average cost.