ADMINISTRATION BRANCH

Administration directly supports the missions of the Fire Department and coordinates all non-emergency response activities within the Fire Department, such as payroll, benefit, Workers Compensation, budget, approval of purchase and repair requests, as well as liaison for the department in legal matters.

PLANNING AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

The Planning Branch is responsible for the computers used by SCFD personnel and on each fire apparatus.  Planning Staff is also responsible for the analysis and interpretation of vast amounts of data created for each alarm, as well as in-depth analysis of current alarm activity to assist the Communications Center in providing adequate resource coverage for the citizens. EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

The Planning Branch Assistant Chief also oversees the Seminole County Emergency Communications Center, which provides centralized dispatch services for fire and EMS resources to all fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies operating as a part of the Seminole County First Response System. These municipalities include Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Lake Mary, Longwood, Oviedo, Sanford, Winter Springs, and the unincorporated areas of Seminole County.  All Operators working in the Emergency Communications Center are certified Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD) and are trained to provide life saving instructions to callers during emergency medical situations.

The Center operates a computer aided dispatch system that identifies and recommends for dispatch the nearest appropriate unit to an emergency. In addition, a traffic monitoring system displays real time video of major highways on monitors located in the Emergency Communications Center allowing Operators to actually see the incident and dispatch appropriate emergency equipment to the scene.

The Emergency Communications Center also provides after-hours dispatch services for the Animal Services Division and other county operational departments and divisions.

In case of an emergency, citizens and visitors should dial 911 to access the nearest PSAP to their location where a 911 Call Taker will make the following statement:

"911, Do you need Police, Fire or Medical?"

You will be prompted for the following information:  Describe the emergency situation, Locations of the emergency (Street address and nearest cross street), The telephone number you are calling from.  Additional questions may be asked depending on the type of emergency. In the event of a medical emergency, an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) will ask specific questions and provide medical pre-arrival instructions while emergency units are enroute to the emergency scene.

FIRE SUPPORT

Fire Support includes the Facilities Section responsible for maintenance, repair or renovation of existing facilities; the Fleet Section responsible for all apparatus and gas powered equipment utilized by SCFD; Capital Projects Section responsible for the oversight of planning, acquisition, design and construction of any new SCFD facilities or fleet utilized on a daily basis; and Logistics Section responsible for ensuring adequate supplies are available for the use of SCFD personnel and stations.

SHIFT OPERATIONS

Operations is responsible for command structure and response.  Operations is divided into three shifts under the leadership of an Assistant Chief.  The County is divided into four geographical response areas, each under the command of a Battalion Chief.  Each Battalion Chief is responsible for four to five fire stations with a total of 20 fire stations.  SCFD and its personnel respond to fire emergencies (residential/commercial, vehicle, wild land and industrial); medical emergencies (heart attacks, strokes, breathing difficulty, traumatic injuries such as vehicle crashes and many others); and special teams to meet the changing needs in the types of emergencies SCFD mitigates. 

SPECIAL OPERATIONS

Seminole County hosts a number of special teams under the direction of an Assistant Chief of Operations.   As the population and demand for services have grown over the last couple of decades in Seminole County, along with the changes and threats of our National Security, Seminole County has developed specialty teams to help meet the changing needs in the types of emergencies that the Department mitigates.

Special Hazards and Operations Team

In addition to fires and medical emergencies Seminole County responds to incidents that require specialty training that include hazardous materials mitigation, confined space rescues, water rescue, etc. The Department's Special Hazards and Operations Team is dispatched to respond to these types of incidents.

The Seminole County Special Hazards & Operations Team (SHOT) is the result of the coordinated efforts of the Seminole County Fire Department and the Emergency Management Division. The Special Hazards & Operations Team was formed in 1992 by combining the functions of the existing Hazardous Materials Response Team with heavy/technical rescue and water rescue responsibilities.

The Special Hazardous Operation Team handles all types of major emergencies including, but not limited to, hazardous materials response, gas leaks, heavy extrication, confined space rescue, collapse/trench rescue, high angle emergencies, water rescue, air and light support, and fire suppression. Besides dealing with typical emergency response challenges, SHOT intentionally intervenes in chemical, biological, and radiological accidents. A new aspect of emergency response our Team is trained on how to respond to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) incidents. The specialized skills and equipment of SHOT are needed for responding to this type of incident.

The Seminole County Special Hazardous Operations Team operates out of three fire stations. Station 35 houses Squad 2, Engine 35, Dive 35, and Boat 35 as well the response trailers. Stations 12 and 27 each house a Satellite SHOT Engine. Team members must complete over 600 hours of special operations training and must complete continuing education courses to remain an active member.

The SHOT Team responds to special emergencies throughout Seminole County and within the East Central Florida region.

Bike Team

The Department’s bike team is prepared to respond to emergencies on the Seminole County trails or in areas where a larger emergency unit cannot access.  In addition, the Department's bike team provides standby for medical emergencies for special events that are sponsored by the County or by the Cities of Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs or Casselberry.

Burn Team

To reduce the danger of rural/urban interface uncontrolled wildfires the Department's burn team, in cooperation with Division of Forestry and the Natural Lands program, participates in a prescribed burn program. The prescribed burn program reduces the natural fuel levels and at the same time benefits plants and wildlife.

Urban Search and Rescue

Seminole County is a member of Central Florida’s Task Force 4 Urban Search and Rescue Team.  This team is comprised of members from the City of Orlando Fire Department, Orange County Fire Rescue, as well as Seminole County Fire Department.

Vehicle Extrication Team

Seminole County responds to vehicle crashes daily that includes many various types and sizes of transportation units.  In addition to cars and trucks, they may include, planes, trains, buses, semi-trucks, waste management vehicles, etc.  Each type of vehicle presents unique circumstances in removing a trapped and or injured patient.  Seminole County established a vehicle extrication team that routinely trains on various vehicles and shares their knowledge through training other members of Seminole County Fire Department. 

EMS Operations

EMS Operations directly supports the mission of providing for the safety and welfare of the public through cutting edge medical treatments and technology since beginning transporting patients to area hospitals in 1998.  Seminole County Fire Department has over 28,000 calls for EMS related services with over 21,000 customers being transported to area hospitals.  EMS Operations was the State of Florida 2014 provider of the year and oversees CAAS accreditation, which signifies that our service has met the "gold standard" determined by the ambulance industry to be essential in a modern emergency medical services provider.  The EMS Operations team, along with Medical Director Todd Husty, oversees patient care protocols and works hand in hand with local hospitals to analyze patient care delivery while identifying opportunities to improve patient outcomes.