Hollywood Fire Rescue & Beach Safety
Founded in 1924
• Operates 6 fire stations across the city
• About 300 personnel, including ~260 sworn firefighters and 100 support staff
• Responds to over 30,000 calls per year
• Services include fire suppression, emergency medical response, and ocean lifeguard operations
• Specialized units:
• Hazardous Materials team
• Technical Rescue team (confined space, dive rescue, high-risk rescues)
• Fire inspection and investigation
• Supports law enforcement with SWAT medics trained to deliver medical aid during tactical operations
One of the worst departments to work for. Do not come to Hollywood you will be overworked and underpaid. Our administration for the city doesn’t care how busy you are just run more calls. They refuse to get more rescues and shift personal in service when call volume has reached around 30,000 calls per year and sometimes higher. Yet they hire new Chiefs positions more training positions and more fire prevention with no new rescues in service. They keep hiring support staff to support a department that is falling apart. On top of that they have a HazMat team that is always out of service forcing other units to run even more calls. The department is too small for it HazMat team.
Morale is low call volume is high. The department is severely short-staffed and overtime is mandated constantly yet they blame line personnel for calling out because you should never call out because nobody ever gets sick. The department has become a joke. New hires leave frequently yet the Chiefs makeup reasons why they left and pretend it’s not because the department sucks. Hollywood is merely a stepping stone department get a job then leave and go to a real department.
24/72 not in Hollywood the city has almost a billion dollars and claims they’re broke. Our chief support the lies coming out of City Hall and are too afraid to fight for their own personal to get better working schedules even though it has been recommended by the state. Week leadership, week Union, and a poorly run City. Don’t come to Hollywood.
I don’t know who hurt the previous reviewer, or if they were wronged in any way by the department, but I can say that it’s not nearly as bad working here as was described in that review.
Does the department have some issues? No doubt. As does every other fire department. But is it the worst? Absolutely not. To pretend it is, is just foolish. The culture here is enviable. We’re a fairly tight Department. We work well together, we look after each other, we suffer together, and when the sh*t hits the fan, we’ve always closed ranks and backed each other up.
Are there things that can be fixed? Yes of course. Are they being addressed? Why, yes they are. Gone are the days of having an Administration that doesn’t care about the membership; or chiefs that laughed off our relentless workload. These days, the concerns we’ve had for many years are being addressed. And many, like me, truly believe we’re finally pointed in the right direction. But we’re 100 years old. It took a while to get to this point, so making things right isn’t going to be an overnight process.
Same with the Union. Is everything done perfectly? Of course not. It’s an imperfect society. But we’ve come a long way, and apparently they also have plans for better things. And they, too, are taking serious many of our concerns.
In short, Hollywood Fire Rescue is an extremely busy Department. This is true. But we all got into this profession to work, not lounge around. And if you’re a Hollywood Firefighter, or are blessed to know one, you’re already aware that we’re one of the hardest working fire departments in the area. And that’s a pride that no one can rate poorly.
City of Hollywood Fire Rescue is truly an outstanding department and a great place to work. One of the strongest qualities of this department is the brotherhood and sisterhood among its members. We are an extremely busy department, and the workload can be demanding, but the camaraderie, teamwork, and overall morale remain exceptionally strong.
There is a tremendous amount of pride throughout the organization. Whether responding to routine calls, major incidents, or complex emergencies, our personnel consistently step up for one another and for the community we serve. The experience gained from working in such a high-volume system also creates highly capable, well-rounded firefighters and paramedics.
Our HazMat, Special Operations, and Technical Rescue Team also deserve recognition. The level of training, experience, equipment, and operational capability within these teams is exceptional. In my opinion, they are among the premier special operations teams in Broward County, with members who take tremendous pride in maintaining a high level of readiness and professionalism.
No fire department is perfect, especially one operating at the pace and call volume that Hollywood does, but the people are what make this department special. The brotherhood and sisterhood, strong morale, specialized capabilities, and commitment to taking care of each other and the public make City of Hollywood Fire Rescue a department I am extremely proud to be a part of.
If you’re not afraid to stay busy, get your hands dirty, work hard, and be part of a department with great camaraderie, brotherhood, and sisterhood, then come get hired with us. Hollywood Fire Rescue is busy, demanding, and not for everyone — but if that’s the kind of environment you thrive in, you’ll fit right in.
– GOOD VIBES
The Hollywood, Florida Fire Department deserves five stars! Their professionalism, dedication, courage, and commitment to serving the community are truly admirable. It’s reassuring to know that such hardworking and compassionate first responders and administration are there when people need help most.
Thank you to the entire department for all that you do and for everything you do to keep my family and the Hollywood community safe. Your service, sacrifice, pride, and dedication do not go unnoticed. We are truly grateful for everything you do to protect and serve our community!
Let me start by saying this: Hollywood Fire Rescue is a great department to work for. I’ve worked for two departments in my career, and I can honestly say that Hollywood has a lot going for it. Do we have problems? Absolutely. But I also believe we’re working toward getting our **** together.
When it comes to leadership and administration, though, I would only give us a 3… and that isn’t necessarily because of our administration. It’s because of what I see from many of our officers on the line.
Where did the old school fire officer go?
The man or woman who was obviously in charge of their station without having to constantly remind everyone of their rank. The officer everyone looked up to because they knew their ****, carried themselves with confidence without being cocky, took care of their people, and set the standard simply by how they conducted themselves.
Somewhere along the way, it feels like we replaced too many of those leaders with children wearing a different ranking t shirt.
We all know that **** rolls downhill. So when officers sit around the kitchen table complaining, **** talking other people, making memes about coworkers, and acting like high school kids, what exactly do we expect from the younger and lower ranking personnel watching them?
I don’t care how good your fireground skills are. You can be the best firefighter in the world operationally, but if you spend your time at the station tearing down everyone and everything around you, your membership suffers because of it. Being a good fire officer requires more than being good on the fireground.
We are quick to look toward administration whenever there is a problem with morale or culture in this department. Sometimes that criticism is justified. But maybe we also need to start looking at the heads of our own lunch and dinner tables.
Our younger generation looks upward. They drink the kool aid. They watch how their officers behave, how they handle conflict, how they talk about other people, and how they carry themselves when nobody from administration is around.
Watching an officer shake someone’s hand and smile when they walk into the room, only to start **** talking that same person before they’ve even made it around the corner, is unacceptable. That isn’t leadership. That isn’t brotherhood or sisterhood. Be better. Do better. This isn’t a mean girls (and boys) club.
And frankly, sometimes this place feels worse than high school.
If we genuinely want Hollywood Fire Rescue to continue becoming a better department, leadership can’t just come from the top floor. It has to start inside every station, at every kitchen table, on every shift.
The rank on your shirt might make you an officer. Your behavior is what makes you a leader.
One final thought, we all knew what we signed up for when we chose this profession and department. Call volume is part of the job, and our city depends on us to answer those calls. If your biggest complaint is that we’re too busy doing the job we signed up to do, then maybe it’s time to consider whether another department is a better fit for you.
Rating Breakdown
3.4/5
3.4/5
3.4/5
3.2/5
5 Reviews on “Hollywood Fire Department”
One of the worst departments to work for. Do not come to Hollywood you will be overworked and underpaid. Our administration for the city doesn’t care how busy you are just run more calls. They refuse to get more rescues and shift personal in service when call volume has reached around 30,000 calls per year and sometimes higher. Yet they hire new Chiefs positions more training positions and more fire prevention with no new rescues in service. They keep hiring support staff to support a department that is falling apart. On top of that they have a HazMat team that is always out of service forcing other units to run even more calls. The department is too small for it HazMat team.
Morale is low call volume is high. The department is severely short-staffed and overtime is mandated constantly yet they blame line personnel for calling out because you should never call out because nobody ever gets sick. The department has become a joke. New hires leave frequently yet the Chiefs makeup reasons why they left and pretend it’s not because the department sucks. Hollywood is merely a stepping stone department get a job then leave and go to a real department.
24/72 not in Hollywood the city has almost a billion dollars and claims they’re broke. Our chief support the lies coming out of City Hall and are too afraid to fight for their own personal to get better working schedules even though it has been recommended by the state. Week leadership, week Union, and a poorly run City. Don’t come to Hollywood.
I don’t know who hurt the previous reviewer, or if they were wronged in any way by the department, but I can say that it’s not nearly as bad working here as was described in that review.
Does the department have some issues? No doubt. As does every other fire department. But is it the worst? Absolutely not. To pretend it is, is just foolish. The culture here is enviable. We’re a fairly tight Department. We work well together, we look after each other, we suffer together, and when the sh*t hits the fan, we’ve always closed ranks and backed each other up.
Are there things that can be fixed? Yes of course. Are they being addressed? Why, yes they are. Gone are the days of having an Administration that doesn’t care about the membership; or chiefs that laughed off our relentless workload. These days, the concerns we’ve had for many years are being addressed. And many, like me, truly believe we’re finally pointed in the right direction. But we’re 100 years old. It took a while to get to this point, so making things right isn’t going to be an overnight process.
Same with the Union. Is everything done perfectly? Of course not. It’s an imperfect society. But we’ve come a long way, and apparently they also have plans for better things. And they, too, are taking serious many of our concerns.
In short, Hollywood Fire Rescue is an extremely busy Department. This is true. But we all got into this profession to work, not lounge around. And if you’re a Hollywood Firefighter, or are blessed to know one, you’re already aware that we’re one of the hardest working fire departments in the area. And that’s a pride that no one can rate poorly.
City of Hollywood Fire Rescue is truly an outstanding department and a great place to work. One of the strongest qualities of this department is the brotherhood and sisterhood among its members. We are an extremely busy department, and the workload can be demanding, but the camaraderie, teamwork, and overall morale remain exceptionally strong.
There is a tremendous amount of pride throughout the organization. Whether responding to routine calls, major incidents, or complex emergencies, our personnel consistently step up for one another and for the community we serve. The experience gained from working in such a high-volume system also creates highly capable, well-rounded firefighters and paramedics.
Our HazMat, Special Operations, and Technical Rescue Team also deserve recognition. The level of training, experience, equipment, and operational capability within these teams is exceptional. In my opinion, they are among the premier special operations teams in Broward County, with members who take tremendous pride in maintaining a high level of readiness and professionalism.
No fire department is perfect, especially one operating at the pace and call volume that Hollywood does, but the people are what make this department special. The brotherhood and sisterhood, strong morale, specialized capabilities, and commitment to taking care of each other and the public make City of Hollywood Fire Rescue a department I am extremely proud to be a part of.
If you’re not afraid to stay busy, get your hands dirty, work hard, and be part of a department with great camaraderie, brotherhood, and sisterhood, then come get hired with us. Hollywood Fire Rescue is busy, demanding, and not for everyone — but if that’s the kind of environment you thrive in, you’ll fit right in.
– GOOD VIBES
The Hollywood, Florida Fire Department deserves five stars! Their professionalism, dedication, courage, and commitment to serving the community are truly admirable. It’s reassuring to know that such hardworking and compassionate first responders and administration are there when people need help most.
Thank you to the entire department for all that you do and for everything you do to keep my family and the Hollywood community safe. Your service, sacrifice, pride, and dedication do not go unnoticed. We are truly grateful for everything you do to protect and serve our community!
Let me start by saying this: Hollywood Fire Rescue is a great department to work for. I’ve worked for two departments in my career, and I can honestly say that Hollywood has a lot going for it. Do we have problems? Absolutely. But I also believe we’re working toward getting our **** together.
When it comes to leadership and administration, though, I would only give us a 3… and that isn’t necessarily because of our administration. It’s because of what I see from many of our officers on the line.
Where did the old school fire officer go?
The man or woman who was obviously in charge of their station without having to constantly remind everyone of their rank. The officer everyone looked up to because they knew their ****, carried themselves with confidence without being cocky, took care of their people, and set the standard simply by how they conducted themselves.
Somewhere along the way, it feels like we replaced too many of those leaders with children wearing a different ranking t shirt.
We all know that **** rolls downhill. So when officers sit around the kitchen table complaining, **** talking other people, making memes about coworkers, and acting like high school kids, what exactly do we expect from the younger and lower ranking personnel watching them?
I don’t care how good your fireground skills are. You can be the best firefighter in the world operationally, but if you spend your time at the station tearing down everyone and everything around you, your membership suffers because of it. Being a good fire officer requires more than being good on the fireground.
We are quick to look toward administration whenever there is a problem with morale or culture in this department. Sometimes that criticism is justified. But maybe we also need to start looking at the heads of our own lunch and dinner tables.
Our younger generation looks upward. They drink the kool aid. They watch how their officers behave, how they handle conflict, how they talk about other people, and how they carry themselves when nobody from administration is around.
Watching an officer shake someone’s hand and smile when they walk into the room, only to start **** talking that same person before they’ve even made it around the corner, is unacceptable. That isn’t leadership. That isn’t brotherhood or sisterhood. Be better. Do better. This isn’t a mean girls (and boys) club.
And frankly, sometimes this place feels worse than high school.
If we genuinely want Hollywood Fire Rescue to continue becoming a better department, leadership can’t just come from the top floor. It has to start inside every station, at every kitchen table, on every shift.
The rank on your shirt might make you an officer. Your behavior is what makes you a leader.
One final thought, we all knew what we signed up for when we chose this profession and department. Call volume is part of the job, and our city depends on us to answer those calls. If your biggest complaint is that we’re too busy doing the job we signed up to do, then maybe it’s time to consider whether another department is a better fit for you.