JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the St. Johns County Fire Rescue marked 25 years of service to the community, it also introduced a new chief, who has spent over two decades years with the department.
Chief Scott Bullard had served as a firefighter, engineer, lieutenant, captain, and battalion chief within his 21 years with the department.
“We are very fortunate to do what we do. Very few people have the privilege of waking up every morning and going to the job they love, their dream job. And that’s what keeps us going,” Bullard said.
Bullard says a top goal for him is work culture. He wants his department to be a place people want to work.
“We want to be the destination for people. We’ve already had that happen. Our last group of new hires — 22 individuals — over half of them came from other departments. I think that’s a testament to the changes in culture that we’ve put in place,” Bullard said.
But the department has also faced challenges.
This past October, St. Johns County Fire Rescue received $500,000 in funding to address what some called a mental health crisis within the department.
Bullard said that money has created positive changes as firefighters are using the counseling programs that have been launched, and a Chaplain was also hired.
“We’re speaking more freely about this kind of stuff now. Putting a huge emphasis on mental health and trying to get the message out there, that it’s okay to not be okay,” Bullard said.
Bullard said the community, in many ways, can help, too, and urged people to reach out and connect.
“Anytime you’re driving by a fire station, anybody’s driving by a fire station. Hop in. We love company. We love seeing people, talking to people, that helps us get to know the community we’re serving,” Bullard said.
The fire department also unveiled a new logo, but that doesn’t mean its commitment to being public servants has changed.
