JUPITER, Fla. — At midnight on Oct. 1, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue’s final dispatch calls for Jupiter gave way to the first calls for the newly formed Jupiter Fire Rescue Department.
Jupiter Fire Rescue formally took over as the town’s emergency services provider, more than three years after town leaders voted to establish the department, the Miami Herald reported.
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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. Its first call, a medical call, came in at 1:13 a.m. 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.
“From the day we began building this department, our focus has been on being ready for this moment,” Fire Chief Darrel Donatto said. “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 department is staffed by 94 operational personnel, with a minimum of 23 on duty each shift for 24-hour coverage.
Town leaders began the process three years ago to establish their own fire rescue department, driven by frustration over rising costs.
CBS 12 reported that Jupiter’s chief financial officer said the department’s first-year operating budget is about $25 million, roughly $10 million less than the $35 million it would have cost to continue services with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
The decision faced opposition from a political action committee backed by a local firefighters union, which sought to keep Palm Beach County Fire Rescue as Jupiter’s provider. In 2024, the PAC took the town to court seeking to force a ballot question in March 2025 that would have let residents vote on the issue.
A circuit judge ruled against the PAC, finding a ballot question would conflict with municipalities’ home rule authority under the Florida Constitution.
