St. John's Fire Equipment, Inc. Acquired by Pye-Barker Fire & Safety

What happened

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety announced on November 5, 2026, that it has acquired St. John's Fire Equipment, Inc., a fire suppression company based in St. Augustine, Florida. The St. John's team will continue serving customers in Central Florida, Northern Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. Pye-Barker said the acquisition strengthens its full-service fire protection offerings across those three regions. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough represented Pye-Barker in the transaction. The announcement did not include financial terms.

The seller

St. John's Fire Equipment was founded in 2016. The company installs, maintains, and inspects fire extinguishers and suppression systems for food-service, industrial, commercial, and marine applications. It also maintains and inspects eye wash stations and emergency and exit lighting.

Derrick Brownlee is the company's owner. "Our customers count on us to protect their businesses, customers, employees and inventory," Brownlee said. "By joining Pye-Barker, we will continue the commitment our family has made to provide peace of mind throughout our community."

The buyer

Pye-Barker was founded in Atlanta by John Pye and Ben Barker. It began as a supply operation selling fire protection equipment, then added compliance services for Atlanta businesses. The company now reports more than 250 locations and 9,000 team members, and it ranks No. 3 on the SDM 100.

Altas Partners and Leonard Green & Partners are Pye-Barker's lead investors. Both stayed on through a January 2025 capital raise. In that raise, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and GIC took minority stakes.

Pye-Barker completed 22 acquisitions in the first half of 2026, according to International Fire & Safety Journal. "Adding their dedicated team to the Pye-Barker family enables us to build on that commitment and serve even more customers, businesses and communities throughout Florida," said Bart Proctor, Pye-Barker's CEO.

Where Pye-Barker has been buying in Florida

St. John's follows Pye-Barker's February 2026 acquisition of Universal Fire Systems, a Tampa fire sprinkler specialist with 34 years in business. Universal's commercial clients include healthcare facilities, hospitality properties, educational institutions, and municipal projects.

Closer to St. Augustine, Pye-Barker announced its acquisition of Cox Fire Protection in July 2024. Ron and Linda Cox founded that company in 1984, and it brought branches in Tampa, Ocala, and Jacksonville. Cox's Jacksonville location now operates as a Pye-Barker branch. Owners comparing buyers can see who else is active in the trade on our fire and life safety industry page.

What this means for fire protection owners

For owners of extinguisher and suppression shops, the buyer set is not limited to regional peers. A platform at Pye-Barker's scale buys at the inspection-and-service end of the trade as well as among sprinkler contractors, and a branch of its own in the region did not stop it from buying a young local company there. A national competitor nearby can also be a national buyer nearby.

OffDeal is an advisory firm that helps lower-middle-market business owners sell with confidence. Reach out to learn more about our expertise with fire protection businesses in Florida.

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Source: PR Newswire - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pye-barker-fire--safety-acquires-st-johns-fire-equipment-inc-strengthening-fire-suppression-services-in-florida-302929464.html