The original organization was the Davie Volunteer Fire Department, which was chartered on October 6, 1952. The roots extend even prior to that when a group of people banded together to fight fires (no dates available). This volunteer department serviced Davie, as well as the majority of SW Broward's unincorporated areas and surrounding communities.
The first Fire Chief was Cecil Achemire, followed in succession by; Carroll Anderson, Cecil Achemire, William Griffin, Robert Biggs, Earl Mount, Larry Landers, Joe Ryan, Frank Wiess, Clyde Nash, Richard Stover, Joe Ryan, Richard Stover, Frank Buchert, and Richard Christensen. Our current chief is Lee Bennett.
In the mid-sixties, the ladies of the Davie Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary presented the volunteers with the keys to a brand new rescue van. The van was purchased with S&H trading stamps they had collected for over a year.
By early 70's, the volunteers had established a cadet program by which teenage youth under 18 could learn the routines of firefighting. Many of these cadets went on to become career professional firefighters. A number of them rose through the ranks to become Battalion Chiefs and above.
When the Davie volunteers celebrated their 25th anniversary in 1977, they were 63 members strong. Eventually, the Town of Davie created it's own paid fire department. In 1980, the volunteers moved their base to Sunshine Ranches, and changed their name to Southwest Broward Volunteer Fire & Rescue, and eventually re-incorporated as such.
Initially they were housed on the property of Fire Captain, Bill Lewis. When Bill Lewis moved north, and sold his property, they were accommodated and housed by Charlie Tona, who was President of the Board of Directors, as well as a firefighter.
On June 6, 2000, the Town
of Southwest Ranches was formed and it was again time for the department
to change its name. Southwest Ranches Volunteer Fire-Rescue, Inc. came
into being and entered into a service agreement with the town. This
was through no small effort on the part of Johnny Dollar, the Town of
Southwest Ranches' first Fire Commissioner. Once again the base of operations
was moved, this time temporarily to the property of Commissioner Dollar.
As of the date of this publication, the department has again moved and
is located in its temporary quarters at Griffin Road and SW 172 Avenue.
A permanent home is planned for this site in the future.
At this time, all of the volunteers are either state certified firefighters
or are in the process of becoming state certified. Many are also EMT's,
paramedics or are in school for the same. These volunteers, aided by
their four-wheel drive equipment, specialize in fighting brush fires
and are uniquely qualified to provide large animal rescue. These distinctive
services, which are especially valuable in rural areas, are available
to the Town of Southwest Ranches through its volunteer fire department.
These specialized services have also been made available to surrounding
municipalities through mutual aid requests.
Southwest Ranches Volunteer Fire-Rescue has worked well along side its neighboring fire departments, bringing manpower, equipment and its volunteers' diverse abilities. It has always strived to be of service to the community that it has served and will continue to do so in the future.
