Is FireTransport a New Concept?
There are over 120 fire departments providing complete patient care, including transport service, in the State of Florida alone. Two-Thirds (2/3) of of Florida’s certified Paramedics are firefighters. FireTransport is a nation-wide trend, a natural evolution of the fire service driven by the inherent healthcare, operational, and economic advantages. Pompano Beach began FireTransport in 1992. Fire Chief Harry L. Small writes: “Eliminating the duplication of a separate private ambulance company reduced the number of emergency vehicles travelling through our local streets by 50 percent… The first six months of transport netted around $450,000 for the city… This is not a condemnation of private ambulance companies, but merely an economic reality… Commissioners have been overwhelmed with praise from the public, and returning to the previous two-tier system would now be unthinkable.” Orange County Fire Department’s FireTransport program began with a pilot program in 1997. Today, their FireTr
