Mission & Vision

Our Mission

The Starkville Fire Department is committed to serving and protecting the citizens of Starkville and all who enter our city. We accomplish this through rigid code enforcement, specialized progressive training, and proactive management.

Our Vision

The Starkville Fire Department is committed to having a highly trained firefighting force, the best equipment, and the lowest fire rating possible. This is accomplished through training, fire prevention, inspection, and investigation programs enhanced by the attitude of all personnel.

Starkville Fire Department Vision Statement 

It is the vision of the Starkville Fire department to be recognized by both those we serve and our members as:

• An organization striving to achieve a level of service that is viewed as a benchmark within the Fire Service.
• An exceptional department dedicated to the education of the public in order to promote life safety.
• A dynamic organization that adjusts to the changing needs of the community and its members.
• A department that is acknowledged for its pride, integrity, and professionalism in providing services to the community.

Our History

The first fire chief, Dero Saunders, was elected in 1930 and began the long journey of providing fire service for the citizens of Starkville. The Starkville Fire department began with a group of concerned citizens to serve in those times of fire. From that point the Starkville Fire Department has prided itself on continued growth and service to the citizens of Starkville and to all those who enter our city.

As needs arose and services became greater in both number and quality, the mayor and the Board of Aldermen decided in 1973 to hire E. W. "Punk" Turner as its first full-time paid fire chief.

In 1975, with continued growth, the City of Starkville hired six new firefighters to go to a 24 hours on and 48 hours off shift rotation, which gave the city two fully staffed fire stations. As the fire service grew and fire prevention and building codes were enforced the number of fire calls dropped and the city took on medical services 1983.

The current status of the Starkville Fire Department is a career department, five stations, a class four in fire rating, that provides a full complement of services such as CPR classes, fire suppression, fire prevention, hazardous materials response, high angle rescue, confined space rescue, medical response with paramedic capabilities. The Starkville Fire Department has many of its members trained to MEMA Taskforce standards to assist in declared disasters. 

We provide services to The City of Starkville with a population of more than 24,000 and Mississippi State University with a student population of more than 20,000.