From The Director

JIM REYNOLDS, DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR

The Director of Seminole County Fire Department coordinates daily emergency services, along with system-wide emergency communications for EMS, fire/rescue, and emergency management.  This close coordination allows for a smooth transition from daily operations to that of countywide disaster response and recovery functions.

The Director of Seminole County Fire Department is also responsible for oversight of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Performance Management section. This section is responsible for coordinating the system-wide EMS quality improvement program, improving the “standard of care” based on evidence-based medicine and supported by clinical outcome data. This section works closely with the Medical Director, who is contracted with by the County, to provide medical direction and education for the 633 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics in the Seminole County EMS System.

In 1974, the Seminole County Fire Department was created to serve unincorporated Seminole County. The Department was created from numerous volunteer fire departments that were established across the county. The Department grew to over 13 stations by the year 2000. In 2002, Seminole County Fire Department merged with the City of Altamonte Springs Fire Department to make one of the larger fire departments in Central Florida. In October 2008, the City of Winter Springs Fire Department merged into Seminole County, and, in October 2015, the City of Casselberry Fire Department merged into Seminole County, increasing the number of Seminole County Stations to 19.

This department operates under a sophisticated "First Response" mutual aid system. Every city in Seminole County, along with Volusia and Orange Counties participate in this sharing of resources. This concept dispatches the closest unit(s) to an emergency regardless of jurisdiction.

Seminole County Fire Department responds to emergencies that threaten life and property daily. A proactive approach is taken in many of these emergency situations by extensive training and disaster planning. The department operates under the Incident Management System of Incident Command for both daily operations and alarm situations.

The Department operates 19 stations strategically located throughout Seminole County. Resources include; 17 Engines, 3 Tower/Ladder Trucks, 19 ALS (Advanced Life Support) rescue units, and 1 heavy rescue/special response unit. Other resources include 8 woods trucks, 2 EMS special event golf cart, 6 EMS bicycles, 2 four-wheel drive tracker units, one mobile command unit, 3 water tenders, and a prescribed burn unit. Field units are directed by Assistant Chiefs and directly supervised by four Battalion Chiefs.