As the clock struck midnight to close out September and the first day of October arrived, the final dispatch calls for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue in Jupiter ended and the first ones for the newly formed Jupiter Fire Rescue Department began.
Jupiter Fire Rescue formally took over as the town's emergency services provider on Thursday, Oct. 1, more than three years after town leaders voted for Jupiter to have its own fire department.
In its first 24 hours, the department responded to 30 calls, including 24 medical calls, four traffic crashes and two fire calls, a town spokesperson said. Jupiter Fire Rescue's first call, a medical call, occurred at 1:13 am on Oct. 1.
Early in its second day of service, the department also administered life-saving
whole blood during a medical call, the spokesperson said.
Bell ceremonies at each station launched switch to Jupiter Fire Rescue
Prior to going into service, crews gathered at all three town fire stations for simultaneous ceremonies marking the transition. Flags were raised over each station, and firefighters participated in a bell ceremony honoring those who served before them and recognizing the beginning of Jupiter Fire Rescue's service to the community.
“From the day we began building this department, our focus has been on being ready for this moment," Fire Chief Darrel Donatto said in a prepared statement.
"Our firefighters have trained together, learned together and built a culture centered on serving this community. Today, the planning and preparation give way to our purpose. The men and women of Jupiter Fire Rescue are ready, and we are honored to serve the people of Jupiter."
The fire department is staffed by 94 operational personnel, with a minimum of 23 operational firefighters on duty each shift to provide 24-hour coverage.
The Town Council voted to create Jupiter's own fire department in 2023, ending a 40-year relationship with the county agency. At the time, town officials cited concerns about rising costs for the county's services and a desire to have more control over how to spend their tax dollars.
Town officials estimate Jupiter will save about $10 million on fire rescue services for the first year.
Decision to create Jupiter Fire Rescue met with opposition from PAC
The decision to create a new department faced opposition as a political action group backed by a local firefighters union sought to keep Palm Beach County Fire Rescue as the town's provider for emergency services.
In 2024, the Jupiter Residents to Keep Palm Beach County Firefighters political action committee took the town to court, seeking to force a question onto the March 2025 ballot that would have put the decision to a vote by residents.
A circuit judge ruled against the PAC, finding that a ballot question would conflict with home rule authority, the power that the Florida Constitution grants to municipalities to govern themselves and create departments.
As Jupiter began its new chapter on Oct. 1, the town posted messages on its official social-media pages thanking Palm Beach County Fire Rescue for its service. Jupiter joins Palm Beach Gardens, Tequesta and North Palm Beach among municipalities in northern Palm Beach County that have their own fire departments.
The town has fire stations near Burt Reynolds Park and Cinquez Park, as well as a temporary station at Abacoa Community Park.
“Building a fire rescue department from the ground up in about three years has been an extraordinary undertaking that touched nearly every part of our organization," said Town Manager Frank Kitzerow, who once served as Jupiter's police chief.
"It required tremendous collaboration from employees across the Town, many of whom took on additional responsibilities to help make this possible. Today is a reflection of their hard work and of what can be accomplished when an organization comes together around a shared goal. ”
Julius Whigham II covers northern Palm Beach County and public safety for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Day 1 for Jupiter Fire Rescue saw medical calls, life-saving response
