FAQs

FAQ - Fire and Emergency Services

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This page is designed to provide quick and helpful responses to assist residents, businesses, and visitors. If you don’t see your question answered here, please contact us directly for additional assistance.

For general information, please call 678.518.4800.

For inquiries related to education, contact 678.518.4845.
To reach Fire Prevention and Enforcement, call 678.518.4980.

If you believe a building or property in Gwinnett County poses a potential fire hazard—such as blocked exits, unsafe storage of flammable materials, or malfunctioning fire alarms—please contact Fire Prevention and Enforcement at 678.518.4950. Our inspectors can evaluate the situation, ensure the property meets fire code requirements, and take action to correct any safety violations. If the hazard presents an immediate danger to life or property, call 911 right away.

To request a fire report, incident report, or submit an open records request, visit the Gwinnett County Open Records Portal.

Please have the following information ready:

  • Date and time of the incident
  • Name(s) involved
  • Type of incident


Note: Environmental open records requests (e.g., from contractors for hazmat or environmental matters) should also be submitted through the portal. You may submit medical record requests or request a copy of ambulance bills by email: FireEMSReports@GwinnettCounty.com or by fax: 678.518.4951.

The Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) evaluates jurisdictions based on several factors related to fire protection, including water supply, dispatch operations, and fire department resources. The majority of the County currently holds a rating of 2/2X. Additional information regarding verification and the ISO rating is available in the ISO Rating (PDF). Please note that structures located more than five road miles from a fire station are assigned a rating of 10 by insurance providers, which indicates no recognized fire protection.

To ensure effective and efficient patient care during emergencies, the department uses a dynamic, tiered response system. Based on the nature of the medical call and unit availability, 911 Communications dispatches the closest medic unit, fire engine, or both.

For serious, life-threatening situations—such as cardiac arrest, major trauma, or difficulty breathing—both a fire engine and a medic unit are dispatched together to provide the necessary resources for the best possible outcome.

Outdoor burning is allowed from October 1 through April 30.

Residents should check current conditions before burning outdoors by visiting the Outdoor Burning information page, or calling the Burn Information Line at 678.518.4979.
In non-critical situations, patients may select their preferred hospital. In critical situations, however, Medical Unit personnel will determine transport to the nearest or most appropriate facility.
New hydrants are installed throughout the year.  You will need to drive your neighborhood and determine the location of your closest hydrant.
All firefighter/EMT and paramedic positions are full-time paid employees. Citizens having graduated from the 9-week Citizen Fire Academy program are utilized as volunteers for administrative activities and special events.