Many of us have been helped by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Department personnel. These men and women are well-trained and compassionate.


Battalion 4 Chief Michael Wells, headquartered at the West Delray Hagen Ranch Road Station 42, is responsible for eight Fire Rescue stations in south Palm Beach County and the staff of 192 staff members it takes to run the 21 vehicles in those stations.

They perform hazardous jobs for us: Saving lives. 76% of calls are medically related. The other 24% are for extinguishing fires.

Battalion 4 covers the general area from Lantana Rd., south to Clint Moore Road, west to 441 and back north to Lantana Rd. The eastern borders are the cities of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. In Battalion 4 each of the eight stations has a Rescue Engine and a Rescue ambulance with paramedics in every unit. A few units also have a specially equipped vehicle to fight brush fires.

Chief Wells describes the action: “This time of year begins our most dynamic period with seasonal citizens returning.

Station 42 at Hagen Ranch Rd. and Atlantic and Station 45 (Jog Rd. south of Atlantic) serve the West Delray area. These are the two busiest stations in Battalion 4, responding to 5,400 and 6,000 calls annually respectively. Station 45 is so busy on calls they hardly have time to get back to their headquarters.

Neighboring stations come in as needed, dependant on type of call. The addition of the newest Fire Station 44 at 6670 Flavor Pict Road, between Jog and Hagen Ranch Roads, which opened Friday October 31, is anticipated to take care of 2,200 calls per year and will help reduce response times in the area.

The Fire Rescue Department in Palm Beach County has 6 battalions with a total of 45 stations that serve a total population of 745,000 citizens.

FireRescue personnel undergo continuous monthly training using special programs on the internet such as Monthly Medic. This information keeps their ongoing education up to date. In addition the entire county staff participates in field training on actual sites. Recently they spent four hours training on a high rise building coping with a simulated fire.”

The Fire Rescue department has a Community Education hotline. You can call 616-7033 with any questions regarding Fire Rescue.

Chief Michael Wells, 49, born in West Palm Beach, began his career as a firefighter in 1981 at Lake Park, Fl. after graduating Palm Beach Community College with an Associate degree. The 6’ 2” Chief is married with two children. His proudest accomplishment is raising his family and achieving his current rank.

“My major concern is keeping the department at peak performance within the budget restrictions of the present economic crisis. We stay within the budget and provide service by that standard,” concludes Chief Wells.

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