[5] The first fire station, the second in Broward County, was built in January 1913 on Andrews Avenue and SW 2nd Street and was part of the first City Hall building.

Shortly after buying this first engine, Chief Sherman was able to purchase a Brockway truck for $7,500 which carried hundreds of gallons of water, used to fight the numerous brush fires, which at the time were a threat to the city.

This fire station still stands today, and operated until it was sold in 1985 to a private citizen, where it is currently used as a law office.

[5] In 1926 Chief Dooley requested the department build its third fire station at 1022 W. Las Olas Blvd at a cost just over $21,000.

On December 7, 1940, the fire department experienced its first Line of Duty Death, when Firefighter Robert Knight was killed when he stepped in a puddle contacted by an energized high-voltage wire.

Numerous bullet holes were later found on fire apparatus, and crews used trash can lids to deflect rocks and bottles thrown at them while responding.

On September 20, 1970, the city hired its first black firefighter, Bobby Glenn, who later retired after serving the department for over 21 years.

The city purchased its first set of MSA SCBA breathing apparatus, replacing old canister masks that were rarely worn.

Also, in 1971 International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1545 was created, becoming the city's first recognized labor union.

The department continued using lime green apparatus until 1998, when the last remaining units were shifted to reserve pieces.

The agreement was the first official document that guaranteed responses by other fire departments for assistance to major emergencies in cities.

The document also set minimum standards on staffing, and response requirements for mutual aid responses and this mutual aid agreement was paramount in establishing future relationships between fire departments, such as the one that established the Broward County Uniform Station Numbering system.

[5] In 1988, the fire department began using the Incident Command System as part of its operation at emergency scenes.

Also part of this change was the use of RIT teams, which would be dispatched along with a second battalion chief to any working fire in the city.

Under this system, a Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue unit would respond to any medical emergency in the city under a three-tiered system, with Broward County EMS providing patient care, and private ambulance companies providing patient transport to the local hospitals.

This was a large transition for the department, and resulted in the purchasing of 6 new rescue trucks, and the largest hiring class ever of 64 state certified firefighter/paramedics.

[5] In 2012 under the leadership of Fire Chief Jeffrey A. Justinak, the department celebrated its first 100 years of public service to its citizens.

In 2020 and 2021 the department began converting special operations engine companies to "squads" which carry additional equipment to support their TRT and Haz-Mat missions at Stations 29 and 53, respectively.

[9] The department is responsible for providing aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) services to the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.

[10] Fort Lauderdale is one of several departments in South Florida that provides Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) medics.

The team responds these specialized rescues both within the city limits and to assist other departments throughout the county and state when needed.

Currently the team houses the only live victim search and rescue dog in the county to be considered a member of the department.

[12] The Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Department was one of the first agencies in the county to respond with a specialized team to hazardous materials, doing so since 1979.

Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue supervises three miles of continuous public beach along the coastline.

[16] In the guarded areas of the beach, there are 20 permanently staffed lifeguard towers spaced approximately 300 yards (270 m) apart.