In 1974, the Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD) was created to serve unincorporated Seminole County. The Department was created from numerous volunteer fire departments that were established across the county. The Department grew to over 13 stations by the year 2000. In 2002, Seminole County Fire Department merged with the City of Altamonte Springs Fire Department to make one of the largest fire departments in Central Florida.

This fire department operates under a sophisticated "First Response" mutual aid system. Every city in Seminole County, along with Volusia and Orange Counties participate in this sharing of resources. This concept dispatches the closest unit(s) to an emergency regardless of jurisdiction.

Seminole County Fire Department responds to emergencies that threaten life and property daily. A proactive approach is taken in many of these emergency situations by extensive training and disaster planning. The department operates under the Incident Management System of Incident Command for both daily operations and alarm situations.

SCFD operates 15 stations strategically located throughout Seminole County. Resources include; 14 Engines, 2 Tower/Ladder Trucks, 14 ALS (Advanced Life Support) rescue units, and one heavy rescue/special response unit. Other resources include 7 wood trucks, one EMS special event golf cart, 4 EMS bicycles, 2 four-wheel drive tracker units, one mobile command unit, 3 water tenders, and a prescribed burn unit.   Field units are directed by Division Chiefs and directly supervised by three Battalion Chiefs.