Glynn County Fire Rescue

🚒📚 Welcome back, students!

Today marks the first day of school, and our crews are out helping keep students, parents, and staff safe as everyone settles back into their routines.

Please remember:
🚸 Slow down in school zones.
🛑 Obey crossing guards and traffic signs.
📵 Put distractions away and stay alert.
🚌 Watch for children getting on and off school buses.

A few extra minutes of patience can make all the difference. Let’s work together to make this a safe and successful school year for every student.

Have a great first day, Glynn County!

Topping‑out milestone for Station 9! 🚒🔥

The final steel beam is now in place at the future home of Fire Rescue Station 9 on U.S. 17 and Chapel Crossing Road. Funded through SPLOST, this project strengthens response times, expands service coverage, and supports training for our growing community.

Grateful for the partnership with FLETC Headquarters and proud of the teamwork driving this project forward.

Throughout July, members of Glynn County Fire Rescue participated in a Rowing Challenge designed to encourage physical fitness, healthy competition, and consistent use of the new Concept2 rowing machines recently placed in our fire stations.

Over the course of the month:

🚒 21 firefighters participated

🚣 131 workouts were completed

📏 608,349 meters (378 miles) were rowed—roughly the distance from Brunswick, Georgia, to Raleigh, North Carolina, and the equivalent of more than 15 marathons.

Congratulations to our challenge winners:

🏆 Josh Weaver – 5.11 Daily Grind 26L Backpack (Drawing Winner)

🏆 Isaac Shaffer – Most Cumulative Meters Rowed

🏆 Isaac Shaffer – Longest Single Row

We are grateful to Hootenanny's At the Yard for supporting firefighter wellness by sponsoring gift cards for our top rowing performances. Community partnerships like these help us encourage healthy habits that contribute to a stronger, more resilient workforce.

Congratulations to everyone who participated!

"Dedicated and Driven for Those We Serve."

Today, we join our community in mourning the passing of retired Glynn County Fire Rescue Chief and former County Commissioner Carl Johnson Sr., who died on Monday, July 27.

Chief Johnson dedicated more than three decades to Glynn County Fire Rescue after beginning his career in 1971. He rose through the ranks to serve as Fire Chief from 1992 until his retirement in 2004.

After retiring from the fire service, he continued his commitment to public service as a member of the Glynn County Board of Commissioners from 2006 to 2010.

Chief Johnson’s leadership, dedication and unwavering service helped shape our community and left a legacy that will continue to inspire generations of firefighters and public servants.

Please keep the Johnson family, his friends and all who had the privilege of serving alongside him in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Aug. 1, at Bay Harbor Church of God, 3210 U.S. Highway 82, Brunswick. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 12 p.m.

We honor Chief Johnson’s life, his service and the lasting impact he made on Glynn County.

Behind every successful community event is a team working behind the scenes. Thank you to the GCFR personnel who staffed this year’s fireworks display and helped keep our community safe.

Behind every specialized response is a team of dedicated firefighter/EMS professionals committed to mastering their craft.

At GCFR, our Special Operations teams include Technical Rescue, Hazardous Materials, sUAS (Drone), and Water Rescue. Each team is made up of highly trained firefighter/EMS personnel who are certified as EMTs, Advanced EMTs (AEMTs), or Paramedics and have taken on the additional responsibility of specialized training.

These members train regularly to sharpen their skills, maintain proficiency, and stay prepared for the unique challenges they may face. Equipped with specialized tools, advanced equipment, and extensive knowledge, our Special Operations teams are ready to respond whenever and wherever they’re needed.

Whether it’s a complex rescue, hazardous materials incident, aerial reconnaissance, or a water emergency, these teams stand ready to serve our community with professionalism, expertise, and dedication.

🎆 Celebrate Safely This Independence Day! 🇺🇸

Fireworks are a Fourth of July tradition, but they can quickly turn a celebration into an emergency.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fireworks started more than 32,000 fires in the United States in 2023 and resulted in nearly 9,700 emergency room visits. Children under 15 accounted for almost one-third of those injuries.

Before lighting fireworks, remember:
🎇 Leave fireworks to the professionals whenever possible.
🎇 Keep children away from fireworks, including sparklers.
🎇 Have a water source readily available.
🎇 Never relight fireworks that fail to ignite.
🎇 Dispose of used fireworks by soaking them thoroughly in water before discarding them.

Have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day, and help us keep Glynn County firework injury and fire free!

Training never stops at Glynn County Fire Rescue.

This week, GCFR personnel are conducting tactical vertical ventilation training on pitched residential roofs (Type V construction).
GCFR responds to a wide variety of emergencies as an all-hazards agency, firefighters must remain proficient in every aspect of emergency response—including specialized fireground operations like roof ventilation.
This week’s training plan was a coordinated effort between GCFR Truck Companies and the Training Division. This coordination allows subject matter experts to weigh in on key aspects of technical portions of emergency response.

To someone watching from the outside, cutting a hole in a roof while a fire burns below may seem counterintuitive. In reality, vertical ventilation is a proven tactic used to safely release heat, smoke, and toxic gases from a structure.
When coordinated with interior fire attack and search crews, this ventilation improves visibility, reduces dangerous fire conditions, and increases the chances of a successful rescue while making the environment safer for both occupants and firefighters.
Training like this helps ensure our personnel have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to perform these critical tasks when lives are on the line.

Yesterday, we sent our newest recruits to Rescue Training in Savannah to begin their journey toward becoming certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). This training marks the first step in preparing them for a career of service to our community.

Upon successful completion of EMT certification, the recruits will attend the Basic Firefighter Academy to develop the skills and knowledge required for fire service operations. After completing both programs, they will be assigned to shift duty and begin serving alongside our experienced personnel.

We wish these recruits success as they embark on this challenging and rewarding path and look forward to welcoming them to the front lines of service in the months ahead.