During the 1960's, the only ambulance service in Lee County was run on a voluntary basis by the funeral directors of Fort Myers. Ambulance response times could be as long as an hour. Members of the park felt that an ambulance was needed at the fire station to help save lives. A funeral director in Fort Myers donated an old ambulance that was used on many calls and saved many lives. It was used until the county took over the ambulance service.

Our first fire truck was donated by the Forestry Service but was missing a water tank. Mr. Jules Freeman, the developer of San Carlos Park, found a tank in Jacksonville, Florida, and it was shipped to Fort Myers. The water tank was then mounted on the truck and it became the department's first fire truck fondly named Big Bertha.

For the betterment of the community, the Freeman family donated the land for the firehouse on Sanibel Blvd. The firehouse was built and we had a 1942 American La France pumper donated to us as a retired pumper from the New York City Fire Department. The pumper was equipped with one of the first Jaws-of-Life rescue tools in the area. This pumper was eventually donated to the Ft. Myers Shriners who still, to this day, drive it in the Edison Parade of Light.

The community and surrounding areas were very supportive of the San Carlos Park Volunteer Fire Department because of the two fire trucks and the ambulance service that it was able to provide. Cake and rummage sales, chicken dinners, fish fry's, bingo games and turkey shoots funded the volunteer fire department and its Ladies Auxiliary until 1976.

In 1976, the community of San Carlos Park showed their support for the fire department and voted to become a special taxing district. Because of the funds that were now available, the department was able to purchase its first air packs in 1978. Our first part-time paid Fire Chief was Tom Zepp and our first full-time paid Fire Chief was Karl Drews, who served from 1979 until his tragic death in 1990 when he died in a plane crash while helping another fire district. With the tremendous growth in population and new construction in the area, the fire department recognized the need to hire firefighters. In 1983, the first six paid firefighters were hired, and in 1985, the department hired its first part-time Fire Inspector, Ted Nixon.

In July 1986, Chief Drews proudly opened Fire Station #2 located on Island Park Road. A second fire station was needed for the fast growing South Fort Myers area. After Chief Drews untimely death, Chief Paul Jasper served the department from 1990 until 1992.

In March 1992, the Board of Fire Commissioners appointed Natale J. Ippolito as Fire Chief of the San Carlos Park Fire Protection and Rescue Service District. Chief Ippolito is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began his service to the San Carlos Park community as a volunteer firefighter.