Founded in 1905, the Statesboro Fire Department was created after major fires destroyed the community's cotton gin and other important commercial buildings. It was a volunteer fire department until the first full-time firefighters were hired in 1960. In 1974, the first full-time chief was hired; that position had been previously held by volunteers. From 1933 to 1979, the department's fire station was located on the corner of Courtland and Siebald streets in downtown Statesboro.
The Statesboro Fire Department Station Number 1 is located on 24 West Grady Street in downtown Statesboro, across from the city's police department and next to the Bulloch County Emergency Medical Services. The fire station was built in 1979 and is the base for four firefighting vehicles. Two ladder units used for responding to emergencies at multi-story buildings are located at the station, as well as two first responding apparatuses serving the city and Bulloch County.
Station Number 2 of the Statesboro Fire Department is located at 1533 Fair Road, south of downtown near Georgia Southern University and the East Georgia Regional Medical Center. As of March 2011, the station is the base for two first response apparatuses, Unit 502 and Unit 508. Both units respond to emergencies within the city and in Bulloch County.
In addition to serving Statesboro, the fire department is contracted by Bulloch County to cover areas of approximately five miles in circumference from each station. This area includes land outside the city limits where property owners pay a fire district tax to the county that's remitted to the city of Statesboro. The fire department also assists volunteer fire departments in the county by responding to fire incidents within the unincorporated areas of Bulloch County.
