Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue
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Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue (PBCFR) is a combination career/volunteer fire department responsible for providing Fire Protection, Emergency Medical Services, ALS Transport, Hazardous Materials Mitigation, Special Operations, Aircraft Firefighting, 9-1-1 Dispatching, Public Education, Fire Inspections, Fire Investigations, and Building Plans Review for unincorporated Palm Beach County, Florida and certain cities under contract.
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[edit] History
Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue was created on October 1, 1984, when the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution consolidating the existing fire districts in Palm Beach County.
Prior to 1984 the following fire districts were in existence, covering mostly unincorporated Palm Beach County:
- Jupiter-Tequesta
- Juno Beach
- Old Dixie
- Military Park[1]
- Southwest
- Trail Park
- Reservation[2]
- Del Trail
- Canal Point
- Palm Beach International Airport
These departments consolidated, under the leadership of Chief Herman Brice, into Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue. Most of the incorporated cities, unless they were under a contract with a fire district, retained their own departments.
[edit] Mergers since 1990
The following departments merged into Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue between 1990 and 2000:
- Lantana Fire-Rescue (October 1, 1997)
- Royal Palm Beach Fire-Rescue (March 13, 1999)
[edit] Mergers since 2000
- Lake Park Fire Department (June 29, 2002)
- Belle Glade Fire Department[3]
- Pahokee Fire Department[4]
- South Bay Fire Department[5]
[edit] Unit Assignments
The minimum staffing is as follows:
- Engines and Quints:
- 1 Company Officer (Operational Lieutenant or Captain)
- 1 Driver Operator
- 1 Firefighter[6]
- Special Operations (Haz-Mat/Dive/High Angle Rescue):
- 1 Haz-Mat Driver/Operator
- 1 Firefighter/Haz-Mat Technician[9]
- Tenders (formerly "Tankers"):
- 1 Driver/Operator
- Brush trucks are not normally staffed except during Fire Warning periods or after hurricanes. The crew from the engine takes the truck if it is needed and they both operate together as a Task Force.
Open assignments are bid twice a year and are chosen by seniority. If a person already holds an assignment, they cannot be "bumped" out of it unless the station is being disbanded or as a disciplinary action.
[edit] Work Schedule
All ranks District Chief and below work a 24-hours on, 48-hours off schedule. Each officer and firefighter is assigned to a shift, of which there are 3: A, B, and C. There is only one shift on at a time. Tours are for 24 hours and run from 0730 to 0730 the next morning. An example of the calendar follows.
[edit] Kelly Days
Every three weeks each firefighter gets a "Kelly Day", also called a "work week adjustment". This is a day off to bring the work week down to the negotiated number of hours. For instance, if a firefighter works 24-hours on and 48-hours off without a Kelly Day, that firefighter would be working a 56-hour work week. PBCFR has a negotiated 48-hour work week, so each firefighter is given 24-hours off every three weeks to compensate for the time difference. The Kelly Day always falls on the same day of the week for the individual firefighter, and is bid once a year based on seniority (the more senior people get the more desirable days).
Members are allowed to get another member to cover their tours.
[edit] How incidents are received and transmitted
When a person dials 9-1-1 in Palm Beach County, it goes to the local Public Safety Answering Point, which is usually the local Sheriff Office or police agency. If the call is of a fire or medical nature, and is in PBCFR's jurisdiction, it is transferred to the PBCFR Communications Center located in the Palm Beach County Emergency Operations Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. A calltaker will ascertain the location and nature of the emergency, enter it into the Computer Aided Dispatch system, and give the caller medical instructions if needed. Meanwhile, another dispatcher, who received the call via the CAD system, verifies that the closest unit(s) are available for the call.
In July, 2006, the PBCFR Communications Center switched over to a new CAD system, made by Intergraph.
Once the unit response is verified, the call is sent to a printer in the fire station and a computerized voice announces the call both in the firehouse and on the radio, alerting the crews to the call. The calls are also sent to the crews via an alpha-numeric paging system. In July, 2006, this computerized voice dispatch system, which is made by Locution, was put into service. This system notifies the units via a computerized voice over the dispatch channel as well as their fire station directly via the computer network. This system cuts down the time it takes to dispatch a unit to a call, especially if there are other calls holding. The old two-tone paging system is still in place as a backup in the event the computerized system fails.
[edit] Alarm Levels
An Alarm Level is a representation of how many units are assigned to an incident, and indirectly, the seriousness of the incident. All incidents are initially dispatched at an alarm level of "1". Working fires are usually upgraded to an "F", or "Fill the alarm", which gives the balance of the first alarm assignment. Subsequent alarms dispatch more units to the scene. The amount of units being dispatched is dependent on the type of call.
Example:
| Alarm Level | Units for Type: 11R (Residential Structure Fire) | Units for Type: 400 (Motor Vehicle Accident) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (first alarm) | 2 Engines, 1 Rescue, 1 District Chief, 1 EMS Battalion Captain | 1 Engine, 1 Rescue |
| F (Fill) | 1 Engine, 1 Rescue, 1 District Chief, 1 Battalion Chief, Light Support Unit | n/a |
| 2 (second alarm) | 2 Engines, 1 Rescue, 1 Battalion Chief, 1 EMS Battalion Captain | 1 Engine, 1 Rescue, 1 District Chief, 1 EMS Battalion Captain |
| 3 (third alarm) | 2 Engines, 1 Rescue, 1 Battalion Chief, 1 EMS Battalion Captain | n/a |
[edit] NIMS and "Signals"
Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue follows the National Incident Management System (NIMS) format for all radio communications. All communications are done in "Plain English" with certain standard terminology specific to the department used as well. Only two "signals" are in use: "Signal 4", which is a motor vehicle accident, and "Signal 7", which is a deceased person. These are holdovers from the "signals" used by the police agencies statewide.[10]
[edit] Countywide Dispatch
In 2004 the County Commission approved a resolution allowing for funding for the Fire-Rescue Communications Center to come out of the General Fund instead of the Fire-Rescue budget. This change meant that now any city that wanted to be dispatched by Fire-Rescue could do so without having to negotiate a price and a contract, since all taxpayers were paying for it anyway. The concept behind this was to create a "Regionalized Dispatch Center" where the closest unit could be dispatched to a call, regardless of municipal boundaries. This was initially met with opposition from a few cities, citing that this construed "Double Taxation", as they were already providing dispatch services to their own departments yet their citizens were being taxed for the Countywide system. Recently, more and more cities are coming into the new system.
Cities currently in the Countywide Dispatch System
- Lake Worth Fire-Rescue
- North Palm Beach Public Safety
- Palm Beach Gardens Fire-Rescue
- Tequesta Fire-Rescue
- West Palm Beach Fire Department[11]
[edit] Security Medics
Many of the "Gated Communities" in the areas that Fire-Rescue services have their own private security patrols. In a handful of these communities, the patrol officers also act as first responders for medical calls. Some of these communities have even gone the extra step of hiring "Security Medics", who are security patrol officers certified as paramedics with Advanced Life Support equipment, capable of initiating life saving measures before the Fire-Rescue paramedics arrive. The security companies, at their request, are provided with alpha-numeric pagers which alert them of a call in their community. The call is sent to the pager from the Fire-Rescue Computer Aided Dispatch system and gives them the location and nature of the call.
[edit] Department Facts
(Facts obtained from the 2005-2006 Fact Sheet)
[edit] Population and Area
- Population Served: 691,529
- Area Covered: 550 square miles of unincorporated Palm Beach County, plus contracts for specific services in: Glades area, Martin County, Belle Glade, Cloud Lake, Glen Ridge, Haverhill, Jupiter, Juno Beach, Lake Clarke Shores, Lake Park, Lantana, Manalapan, Pahokee, Royal Palm Beach, South Bay, South Palm Beach and Wellington. Also, 9-1-1 and dispatch services (only) provided to the following cities: Lake Worth, North Palm Beach Palm Beach Gardens, and Tequesta.
[edit] Financial/Staffing
- Budget: $246 million (FY 05-06)
- Millage Rate: 3.0990 mils
- Number of Personnel: 1301 Career Employees (314 Certified FF/EMT’s, 667 Certified FF/PM’s) and 100 Volunteers
- Number of Stations: 40
- Daily Firefighter Strength: 222 day-time / 220 night-time
[edit] Units
- Number of In-Service Units:
[edit] Call Volume
Number of Calls (FY 04-05):
- 22,295 Fire Calls
- 74,706 Medical Calls
- 97,001 TOTAL
Average Response Time: 6 minutes 23 seconds
[edit] Ranks
| Title | Badge | Collar and Badge Insignia | Helmet Color | Helmet Shield Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief of Department | Gold | 5 crossed bugles, gold background | White | White |
| Deputy Chief | Gold | 4 crossed bugles, gold background | White | White |
| Division Chief | Gold | 4 crossed bugles, blue background | White | White |
| Battalion Chief | Gold | 3 crossed bugles, gold background | White | White |
| District Chief | Gold | 3 crossed bugles, blue background | White | White |
| Captain | Gold | 2 vertical parallel bugles, blue background | Red | White |
| Operational Lieutenant (Company Officer) | Gold | 1 vertical bugle, gold background | Red | Black |
| Rescue Lieutenant | Gold | 1 vertical bugle, blue background | Red with Star of Life | Black |
| Driver/Operator | Silver with driver emblem | No collar insignia | Yellow | Black |
| Firefighter (includes both EMT and Paramedic) |
Silver with "firefighter scramble" | No collar insignia | Yellow | Black |
| Explorer | Silver with "Explorer 'E'" | No collar insignia | Black | Black |
[edit] Organization
[edit] Executive Staff
- Chief of Department and Administrator - Chief Herman Brice
- Deputy Chief of Operations - Chief Michael Southard
- Division Chief of Operations - Chief Al Sierra
- Division Chief of Rescue/EMS - Chief Bill Peters
- Battalion Chief of Homeland Security - Chief Sean O'Bannon
- Division Chief of Training and Safety - Chief Vicki Sheppard
- Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention/Fire Marshal - Chief Steve Jerauld
- Battalion Chief of Fire Prevention/Deputy Fire Marshal - Chief Jeff Collins
- Deputy Chief of Administration - Chief Steve Delai
- Deputy Chief of Support Services -Chief Randy Sheppard
- Deputy Chief of Operations - Chief Michael Southard
[edit] Operational Battalion Chiefs
- Battalion 1 - Chief Jim St. Pierre
- Battalion 2 - Chief Nigel Baker
- Battalion 3 - Chief Ron Beesley
- Battalion 4 - Chief Mike Wells
- Battalion 5 - Chief Joaquin Hernandez
- (Battalion 6 is reserved for the City of Palm Beach Gardens Fire Department)
- Battalion 7 - Chief Michael Arena
- Battalion 8 - Chief Dave Horowitz
- Battalion 9 - Chief Mark Anderson
- Volunteer Battalion (Unpaid) - Chief Kevin Ratty
[edit] Volunteer Division
The Volunteer Division is used primarily as a reserve division. They are not paged as first-in units, nor are volunteers used for daily staffing. Combat Volunteers have the opportunity to ride at any of the county stations. The Volunteers are called for major fires for rehab and suppression. They operate out of Station 42 in Delray Beach and Station 68 in Lake Park.[15]
- 100 Volunteers
- 50 Combat members serve at the various stations within the county and are at least Firefighter I certified.
- Combat Volunteer : Firefighter I
- Combat-EMT : Firefighter I / EMT
- Combat-Paramedic : Firefighter I / Paramedic
- 50 Non-Combat Volunteers
- Non-Combat members serve in support functions such as administration, investigation, inspections and public education.
- 50 Combat members serve at the various stations within the county and are at least Firefighter I certified.
[edit] Emergency Medical Service
The majority of emergency calls to which Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue responds are medical in nature. This is largely due to the large elderly population they service as well as the decrease of fire-related calls over the past few decades.
[edit] Advanced Life Support
From its inception in 1984 to today, Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue has been able to maintain at least one Advanced Life Support unit in every station, whether it is a Rescue or an Engine. Initially, Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue only provided non-transport ALS (fly-cars) utilizing modified ambulances and "squad" type utility trucks. A private ambulance service provided BLS assistance and transported the patient. If the call was a call that met ALS criteria, the Fire-Rescue paramedic would take the ALS gear and climb into the back of the ambulance along with the EMT from the ambulance service. The other Fire-Rescue paramedic would then follow the ambulance to the hospital. This setup was very similar to the one depicted in the 1970s TV show Emergency!.
[edit] Basic Life Support
At the time of consolidation in 1984, Basic Life Support and transport was done by several local ambulance services in Palm Beach County.
Ambulance Services in Palm Beach County in 1984
- North County Ambulance - Responded to "Zone 1": the "North County" area, which is the areas surrounding Jupiter, Tequesta, and Juno Beach.[16]
- Inter-City Ambulance - Responded to "Zone 2": the areas surrounding Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Lake Park, and Riviera Beach.[17] They also intermittently provided coverage in the "Western Communities", which was "Zone 11" and covered the Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, and Loxahatchee areas, as well as an area known as The Acreage.[18]
- Atlantic Ambulance - Responded to "Zone 3", "Zone 6", "Zone 9", and "Zone 10". "Zone 3" was the area around the City of West Palm Beach. "Zone 6" was the southern end of Palm Beach County including the cities of Delray Beach and Boca Raton and the surrounding areas. "Zone 9" and "Zone 10" cover "The Glades", which is the western half of Palm Beach County delimited by an area known as "Twenty-Mile Bend".[19]
- JFK Ambulance - Responded to "Zone 4". "Zone 4" covered the southern end of West Palm Beach, Lantana, and Lake Worth, as well as some of the surrounding areas.[20]
- AA Ambulance - Responded to "Zone 5". "Zone 5" was the area around Boynton Beach.[21]
- Southwest Area Volunteer Emergency Services (SAVES) - Responded to "Zone 7". "Zone 7" was the area between the "Western Communities" (Zone 11) and the "Coastal Communities" (Zones 3, 4, and 5). The area they covered was unincorporated Palm Beach County with the exception of the City of Greenacres (called "Greenacres City" at that time). In the early 1990s they were taken over by Bethesda Ambulance, who was then taken over by American Medical Response].
Today, there are only two private ambulance providers left in Palm Beach County: American Medical Response and Medics Ambulance Service.
[edit] ALS Transport
In 1996 the County Commission enacted an ordinance allowing Fire-Rescue to transport their own ALS patients. Only Basic Life Support patients were turned over to the private ambulance services. This practice is still in effect at the present time.
[edit] ALS Engines
When a request for a medical problem is received by Fire-Rescue, the closest Rescue truck is dispatched. If the closest Rescue is not available, an ALS Engine is dispatched. The crew on the ALS Engine carries full Advanced Life Support gear and can initiate the appropriate care until another Rescue unit arrives to transport the patient. If the patient does not require Advanced Life Support, a BLS ambulance can be requested from American Medical Response to transport the patient.
[edit] Emergency Medical Dispatch
When Fire-Rescue consolidated, the different fire districts also consolidated their dispatch into one central office. The Palm Beach County EMS Dispatch (also known as "MedCom", who was responsible for dispatching the private ambulance services) expanded their facility on Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach and started handling dispatch functions for the newly created department. This facility was renamed the "Alarm Office". Initially, a firefighter-paramedic would be stationed at the "Alarm Office" to give pre-arrival instructions to callers that needed them. With the introduction of Emergency Medical Dispatch certifications, Fire-Rescue purchased a license to use the "Medical Priority"[22] system and certified all of their dispatchers as "Emergency Medical Dispatchers", a certification given after a 16 hour class is given on using their system. The system utilized a "flip-file" where the dispatcher would go to certain marked cards in the file based on the answers given by the caller to some standardized questions. Instructions would be given to the caller directly from the card. Around 2000 the "Medical Priority" system was given up in favor of another system developed by APCO. Fire-Rescue is still currently using the APCO system. Response determinants[23] are not used in the current system.
[edit] Current EMS Zones
- Zone 1 - Atlantic Ocean west to Florida's Turnpike, Martin County south to 45th Street, and Florida's Turnpike west to the mid-county line (20-mile bend), Martin County south to Hypoluxo Road.
- Zone 2 - Atlantic Ocean west to Florida's Turnpike, 45th Street south to the Broward County Line, and Florida's Turnpike west to the mid-county line (20-mile bend), Hypoluxo Road south to the Broward County line.
- Zone 3 - (no longer used)[24]
- Zone 4 - All of Palm Beach County west of the mid-county line (20-mile bend).
[edit] The Future for Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue
In 2008 Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue will be taking over Emergency Medical Services in The Glades.[25] This area encompasses the cities of Pahokee, Belle Glade, Lake Harbor, Bean City, Canal Point and South Bay. Fire-Rescue will also at that time be starting a pilot BLS transport program for Zone 1.
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ Westward Fire District, which covered the community of Westgate, consolidated into Military Park prior to 1984.
- ^ Tri-Community Fire District, which covered the Hypoluxo area, consolidated into Reservation prior to 1984.
- ^ PBCFR began providing fire protection coverage in October 2006. EMS coverage will begin sometime in 2007, but an actual date has not been provided.
- ^ PBCFR began providing fire protection coverage in October 2006. EMS coverage will begin sometime in 2007, but an actual date has not been provided.
- ^ PBCFR began providing fire protection coverage in October 2006. EMS coverage will begin sometime in 2007, but an actual date has not been provided.
- ^ If the unit is an ALS engine, two of the crewmembers must be paramedics.
- ^ Until all of the Rescue Lieutenant positions are filled, this may be filled with a Firefighter/Paramedic.
- ^ Certain trucks do not have the EMT position filled as of yet. On some units this is a "trainee" spot for Firefighter/Paramedics doing probationary ride time and being evaluated by a proctor.
- ^ All firefighters assigned at the two Special Operations stations are certified as Hazardous Materials Technicians.
- ^ Some other signals that are used informally, which also correspond to the state police "signals", are "Signal 2" (under the influence of alcohol) and "Signal 20" (an emotionally disturbed or violent psychiatric person).
- ^ Effective October 29, 2006
- ^ An "either/or" unit, also called a "shared crew" or "shared resource" unit, is an ALS Engine and an ALS Rescue staffed by a total of 3 personnel. If the call is a fire call, all 3 take the Engine. If the call is a medical call, all 3 take the Rescue. The other unit is then placed out of service until the crew arrives back at the station.
- ^ A "Rescue Pumper", or "Fire Rescue Vehicle", is a rescue-ambulance that has a pump, 200 gallons of water, and a limited amount of hose.
- ^ Special Operations units are combination Hazardous Materials, High-Angle Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, and Dive Rescue teams. Some cities call them Squads (San Francisco), Rescues (FDNY), or USAR (LAFD) units.
- ^ Information obtained from http://www.fire-vols.org/
- ^ In the mid 1990s this service was taken over by Jupiter Medical Center and became Jupiter Medical Center EMS. In the late 1990s Jupiter Medical Center EMS was taken over by [[[American Medical Response]]].
- ^ In the early 1990s Inter-City Ambulance suffered financial problems and shortly afterwards went out of business. North County Ambulance took over their area. Palm Beach Gardens Fire-Rescue started transporting their own patients shortly afterwards.
- ^ Medics Ambulance Service, based in Fort Lauderdale, provided coverage in "Zone 11" after Inter-City went out of business for about a year. They were banned from providing services in the County due to several issues. They have since been allowed back into the County and are now one of two private ambulance services currently in operation, the other being American Medical Response.
- ^ In the late 1980s, Everglades Memorial Hospital started their own ambulance service to cover Zones 9 and 10. They remained in existence until the November of 1999 when they were taken over by American Medical Response.
- ^ In the late 1980s JFK ambulance was taken over by Atlantic Ambulance.
- ^ In the late 1980s Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida started their own ambulance service and took over AA Ambulance. Bethesda Ambulance was eventually taken over by American Medical Response in the early 1990s.
- ^ Now called "Priority Dispatch" [1].
- ^ A "Response Determinant" is how units are to respond to calls. Usually, they are given as "Hot" (lights, siren) or "Cold" (no lights, no siren) in a system that uses determinants, but in Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue, every medical call is responded to with a "Hot" response (also called Code 3 response).
- ^ This needs to be verified.
- ^ PBCFR now provides fire protection in The Glades.
