Our Position on Fire Department Based EMS Transport

    The active membership of the Pinellas County Fire Chiefs’ Association includes the 18 fire departments that provide emergency services to residents and visitors in Pinellas County.

    It is the mission of these Fire Departments in Pinellas County to protect the lives and property of the people from fires, natural disasters, and hazardous materials incidents, to save lives by providing emergency medical services, and to prevent fires through prevention and education programs.  The provision of pre-hospital emergency medical care has been an integral part of these Fire Departments mission for over 30 years.

    In addition, the International Association of Fire Chiefs has published a position paper that urges all elected and appointed government officials, professional associations and health care providers to recognize and support the provision of emergency medical care first response and ambulance transport by the fire service. The majority of urbanized areas throughout the State of Florida already utilize a model that provides for fire department ambulance transport.

    Therefore the Pinellas County Fire Chiefs' Association supports the shift of both the emergency and non-emergency transport functions of the Pinellas County EMS system from the current private contractor to the current fire department providers provided that the plan;

• improves the current level of service and provides for a higher level of continuity of care

•  provides equality in funding to the providers

•  has built-in cost containment

•  provides for a sustainable system into the future

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Last modified: 12/04/13