In 2024, Lafayette County firefighters responded to 2,711 calls, the department’s busiest year since at least 2007.

In 2007, the firefighters responded to about 350 calls. As Lafayette County’s population began to boom, the number of calls grew. Hovering around 500 for several years, it jumped to about 800 calls. In 2020, calls passed 1,000 and four years later, that number has doubled and then some.

Most of the calls, 727, were for medical calls, excluding vehicle wrecks with injuries. They responded to 548 medical assists, where firefighters assisted EMS paramedics.

Firefighters responded to 52 grass fires, 51 brush or brush/grass mixture fires, 43 building fires, four fires in mobile homes used as a residence, two fires in structures other than in a building, 25 forest, woods or wildland fires, eight outside rubbish or trash fires, seven passenger vehicle fires, 116 wrecks with injuries and six watercraft rescues.

They installed 108 smoke detectors for residents and rescued four animals.

“We have been very busy,” said Lafayette County Fire Chief Wes Anderson.

The department took delivery of two new pumper trucks in 2024 to add to its firefighting fleet.

Lafayette County Volunteer Fire Department was chartered on March 30, 1977. Today, the department has 15 fire stations and is made up of paid and volunteer members. The Fire Department is now a partnership between Lafayette County and the Lafayette County Volunteer Fire Department, an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Recently, the Board of Supervisors allowed the fire department to hire enough staff to man Station 9 in Taylor 24 hours a day.

Some of the capabilities of the Lafayette County Fire Department consist of fire suppression, community risk reduction, search and rescue, rope rescue, emergency medical services and other special operations.