October 1, 2017 – September 30, 2018

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Annual Report

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PBCFR.ORG

Mission

WE, THE PERSONNEL, of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue,

are committed to assuring the residents, guests, and

visitors in our community a secure and superior quality of

life. We accomplish this by maintaining the highest state of

readiness, dedication, and compassion in order to minimize

emotional, physical, and economic loss. We acknowledge

that empathy toward human suffering requires special

individuals who realize the importance of their unselfish

contribution and personal commitment to the welfare of

the team and community. In our organization, we strive to

make a difference in our people by creating an atmosphere

of teamwork and fellowship while recognizing the individual

attributes and responding to the needs of each other.

Contents

2

Message from the Fire

Rescue Administrator

3

Station Map 4

County & Department

Demographics

5

Organizational Chart 6

Operations & Special

Operations

7

Emergency Response Activity 8

Department Call Volume &

Unit Response

9

Medical Services 10

EMS Activity 11

Fire Activity 12

Air Rescue/Trauma Hawk &

Airport Rescue & Firefighting

13

Training & Safety 14

Media & Public Relations 15

Support Services 16

Alarm Office 17

ITS & SCBA Shop 18

Bureau of Safety Services

Activity

19

Community Education 20

Administrative Services 21

Finance, Planning & Honor

Guard

22

Special Events 23

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners

Mack Bernard, Mayor

Dave Kerner, Vice Mayor

Hal R. Valeche

Gregg K. Weiss

Robert S. Weinroth

Mary Lou Berger

Melissa McKinlay

County Administrator

Verdenia C. Baker

Fire Rescue Administrator

Michael C. Mackey

Message from Chief Michael C. Mackey,

Fire-Rescue Administrator

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We have a lot of great accomplishments to be proud of this past year!

Our crews ran 135,647 calls last year -- including 117,371 EMS calls, 17,138 “other” calls and 1,138

structure fire calls. We dispatched 203,819 calls for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and 13 additional

municipalities.

The Medical Services Division won prestigious awards with the National Association of Counties and

Palm Beach County for the Mobile Integrated Health pilot program and High Frequency Utilizer

Program, respectively. Our County ROSC (Return of Spontaneous Circulation) rate is twice the state

average at 33% and the Medical Services Division is working on a Cardiac Care Collaborative with

hospitals and other community groups to help us continue to improve our medical care.

Our Training & Safety Division conducted 400 live burn evolutions and trained over 2000 firefighters

from the tri-county area. We participated in Heatshield II with Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office, the

largest regional multi-agency coordinated attack drill in Florida’s history. I am pleased to report 98% of

all department personnel have now been trained in Tactical Trauma Triage (Stop the Bleed) and 19

employees now have their FAA Unmanned Aircraft System (UAV-Drone) Pilot license.

As part of the Statewide Emergency Response Plan, we sent resources to areas damaged by Hurricane

Michael. That included PBCFR members as part of the following state and federal teams: Region 7

Strike Teams, the Region 7 All Hazards Incident Management Team, FEMA’s Task Force II Urban Search

and Rescue Team, Disaster Medical Assistance Team & Telecommunicator Emergency Response Team.

For the first time ever, Palm County Fire Rescue’s Apparatus Shop earned the nationally recognized

prestigious ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) Blue Seal of Recognition. Through the great work of

the FACE (Firefighters Attacking the Cancer Epidemic) Team, we instituted half masks to add an extra

layer of protection for our firefighters in the warm zone and assigned new green decon buckets to the

stations.

Our newly revitalized Extrication team and ALS competition team won top awards at the National

Championship for the North AmericanVehicle Rescue Association and ClinCon, respectively.

This was also a monumental year for Palm Beach County’s United Way Campaign. Our department

alone collected more than ever before in the history of this department, raising more than $221,000!

After proudly serving the department for 30 years, my official date of retirement is March 29, 2019.

I know our department will continue to strive for excellence in 2019 and beyond.

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Station Location Map

Square Miles Served

1,772

Population Served

912,396

+

337,118

(additional population dispatched for)

Number of Personnel

1,541 (Full Time Budgeted Positions)

100

(Volunteers)

Number of Stations

49

+

29 (additional stations dispatched for)

Number of In-Service Units 43 ALS Engines

53 ALS Rescues

2 Special Operations Units

6 ALS Aerials, 4 Tenders

19 Brush Trucks

1 Light/Air

5 ARFF vehicles

Number of Total Calls Dispatched

203,819

(for all agencies, including 13 municipalities & PBCFR Jurisdiction)

Budget

$420 Million (FY 2018 includes all operating funds)

Number of Calls Dispatched

135,647

(for PBCFR)

County & Department Demographics

5

6

Organizational Chart

Operations

Operations is the largest division of

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue,

responsible for the direct delivery of

emergency services.

PBCFR operates 49 fire stations

throughout the county, with a

minimum of 295 personnel on duty at

all times. We maintain coverage as

needed by re-locating units to fill areas

of need.

PBCFR is an “all-hazards” department,

capable of responding to everything

from a minor medical call, to a regional

natural disaster.

All personnel are cross-trained in

firefighting and emergency medical

services, ensuring the most efficient

possible delivery of fire suppression,

technical rescue and extrication, and

emergency medical care.

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PBCFR maintains two Special Operations teams

strategically located to respond to emergencies county-

wide. Along with teams from West Palm Beach, Boca

Raton, and Delray Beach, we form a regional response to

hazardous materials incidents.

Special Operations technicians receive hundreds of hours

of ongoing training annually to maintain readiness in a

number of disciplines:

• Hazardous materials response

• Confined space and technical rescue

• Dive rescue

• Advanced automobile extrication

• Explosive ordnance disposal (with PBSO)

• High angle rescue

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Emergency Response Activity

Average Response Time

6 min & 28 secs

Type # of Incidents

Medical 105,911

Vehicle Accidents 9,821

Fire Alarms 8,472

Public Assists 2,842

Overdose 1,639

Investigation 1,544

Structure Fire 1,131

Unclassified/Non-Emergency 957

Brush Fire 557

Vehicle Fire 555

Powerlines Down 535

Carbon Monoxide 364

Child Locked in Car 336

Gas/Fuel/LP Leak 279

Police/EOD Assist 257

Illegal Burn 229

Other Fires 129

Chemical/Hazardous Conditions 89

Total: 135,647

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Department Call Volume & Unit Response

5,004

5,184

6,373

6,609

6,629

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000

St.42

St.91

St.23

St.45

St.41

Top 5 Busiest Station Zones

[Note: Higher Call Volume in FY2017 due to Hurricane Irma 09/2017]

Medical Services

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The Division of Medical Services comprises of the EMS Section as well as the MIH Section.

The PBCFR EMS Section remains at the forefront

of providing exceptional EMS care by using the

latest equipment, techniques, and interventions to

achieve the best possible outcomes for those we

serve. PBCFR is frequently recognized both

nationally and internationally for our medical and

trauma emergency services, and is continuously

developing programs and protocols to provide the

most advanced EMS care available. PBCFR is among

the top in the nation at cardiac arrest resuscitation,

and continues to elevate its standards. PBCFR has

achieved the American Heart Association Mission

Lifeline Gold Plus award and introduced the use of

a portable ultrasound to enhance diagnostic

capabilities in the field. In 2018, PBCFR started pre-

hospital use of antibiotics to improve patient

outcomes. The EMS Section is under the medical

direction of Dr. Ken Scheppke who was recently

appointed as the Florida State Medical Director.

Pediatric Medical Director Dr. Peter Antevy

received the prestigious award of 2018 EMS

Medical Director of the Year by the National

Association of Emergency Medical Technicians.

The PBCFR Mobile Integrated Health

Section was designed in an effort to

enhance the EMS approach to meet

patients needs after their 9-1-1 call

through multidisciplinary assessment and

care coordination. PBCFR employs a

Community Paramedicine Coordinator

and Medical Social Work Coordinator,

who along with a team of paramedics

and medical social workers, provide in-

home and telehealth care to partner

with patients whose needs go beyond

the scope of traditional EMS services.

Telehealth care refers to remote training

and education via information and

communication technologies. In 2018 the

MIH Section started the High Frequency

Utilizer Reduction pilot program. Thus

far the program has been successful in

reducing 9-1-1 calls by 65% from our

frequent users of 9-1-1.

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1,273

Trauma Alerts (Adult/Pediatric)

1,090

Sepsis Alerts

1,018

Stroke Alerts

419

STEMI Alerts

EMS Activity

Top 5 EMS Call Types

(as dispatched)

#1

Sick Person

#2

Fall with Injury

#3

Respiratory/Trouble Breathing

#4

Chest Pain/Cardiac

#5

Fall-Uninjured

72,362

Patients Transported

“Alert” criteria was established for early notification to hospitals of critically ill

patients.

A “STEMI” (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction) is the occurrence of a heart

attack due to a block in one of the major arteries of the heart.

When calling a Stroke, STEMI, Sepsis, or Trauma Alert, hospital emergency staff

are quickly notified that a critical patient is enroute to their facility. The “alert”

criteria is also used by our crews as a way to quickly recognize the need for

immediate transport.

PBCFR’s rate of resuscitation is almost double the Florida state average of 17.8%

744

Cardiac Arrests

33%

Of those patients resuscitated

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Fire Activity

Structure fires pose the most serious

threat to life safety and are the highest

fire loss potential to the citizens we

serve. Fire Rescue is prepared to

respond to each structure fire call with

adequate personnel and equipment.

Therefore, each reported structure fire

receives 3 fire engines, 2 rescues, 1 aerial,

1 EMS Captain, and a Battalion Chief.

This is considered a national standard for

response to a structure fire.

Smoke detectors and early fire discovery

have helped lower chances for the loss of

life. PBCFR has an on-going program to

install smoke detectors in homes of

those who are unable due to physical or

monetary needs.

[Note: calls as dispatched]

7

49

140

143

329

470

555

557

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Shed Fires

High-Rise Fires

Commercial Fires

Apartment Fires

Misc. Structure Fires

Residental Fires

Vehicle Fires

Brush Fires

Air Rescue/ TraumaPalm Beach County is home to

two Level I Trauma Centers; St

Mary’s Medical Center and Delray

Medical Center. This is the highest

level of care designated by the

state of Florida. Critical patients

are transported either by ground

or by one of two Trauma Hawk

helicopters.

In partnership with the PBC Health

Care District, PBCFR provides

paramedics and flight nurses to

rapidly transport injured patients,

increasing their chances for

survival.

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Visitors to Palm Beach County can

expect first-rate EMS care and fire

protection from our Aircraft Rescue

Firefighting (ARFF) station located at

Palm Beach International Airport.

The firefighter/paramedics assigned to

Station 81 provide EMS and fire

suppression within the terminals, as

well as a rapid response to aircraft

emergencies.

Station 81 houses specialized “Dragon”

units, capable of quickly delivering large

amounts of firefighting foam in the

event of emergency landing of an

aircraft.

Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting (ARFF)

Training & Safety

The Training & Safety

Division is responsible for

training PBCFR’s existing

1260+ certified Firefighters,

200 support personnel, and

new recruits in Fire (All

Hazards), EMS, and

continuing education,

utilizing the latest content

and cutting edge

techniques. It operates

using state-of-the-art

technology to deliver

constant, repeatable

training through the

department's training

facility classrooms, burn

building, training tower,

numerous props and online

intranet sites. An assigned

chaplain is trained to care

for and serve our

firefighters by offering

comfort, encouragement

and support. The Video

Production Department

supports the Training &

Safety Division by

producing training videos

distributed over the

intranet and County

Government Channel 20,

and providing video and still

photography for scheduled

seminars, conferences,

promotions, and

graduations. 14

783

1,910

2,758

12,449

35,470

65,789

71,489

79,915

294,257

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000

Dispatch

ARFF

Dive

Special Ops

Admin

EMS

Driver

Officer

Fire

Training Hours

We trained 57 new recruits through our Recruit Academy

Media & Public Relations

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INCREASING SOCIAL MEDIA FOOTPRINT

10,880

Facebook Followers

13,000

Twitter Followers @PBCFR

3,000

Instagram Followers @pbcfirerescue

2,400

YouTube Subscribers

THANKYOU’S FOR A JOB WELL DONE

Our Communications team has focused on

facilitating reunions between survivors and crews

resulting in memorable and life changing

experiences for everyone involved. The reunions

pictured above were for cardiac arrest and fire

save incidents.

STREAMLINED AWARDS PROCESS

The new “Cool Calls & Excellent Employees”

recognition process is now open for online

submissions for everything from Letters of

Commendation to social media blasts to

official Awards Banquet nominations.

VIDEO INFORMATION UPDATES

Department Video Updates are capturing and

highlighting all the people working behind the

scenes to make things happen. Video updates

also help quickly disseminate useful information

to large groups of employees via technology.

WEBSITE & INTRANET REVAMP

Internet (pictured above) and Intranet website front

pages have been revamped to showcase our department.

The “INSIDE PBCFR” video for 2018 was updated to

showcase the very best of what PBCFR’s expanding

services now include.

Support Services

Support Services provides

logistical support for the 49 fire

stations, as well as equipment

and apparatus maintenance.

The areas of responsibility are

comprised of several areas:

•Apparatus purchase and repair

•Facility construction and

maintenance

•Information Technology (ITS)

•Communications

Existing vehicles are maintained at our state-of-the-art shop at Vista Parkway, wheretechnicians service vehicles from Palm Beach County and several other firedepartments.

Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue’s Capital Improvement Plan provides for the annualpurchase and replacement of vehicles, to maintain the best possible fleet.

In 2017, we upgraded to the P-25 radio system, a digital platform that improvedemergency communications.

New technology is constantly evaluated to improve operational efficiency in our servicedelivery.

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• 6,869 Work Orders

• 24,296 Labor Hrs

Fleet Maintenance

• 1,227 Work Orders

• 6,038 Labor Hrs

Radio Maintenance

• 238 Work Orders

• 4,190 Labor Hrs

Facilities

Maintenance

Alarm Office

The Alarm Office is a regional dispatch center that processes approximately

400,000 calls annually resulting in over 200,000 dispatched events throughout the

county for PBCFR and multiple other fire departments including 13 municipalities.

Dispatchers are highly trained professionals who are able to quickly determine the

nature of an emergency, provide immediate instruction to a caller, and send the

closest, most appropriate resources to an incident.

Text to 9-1-1, publicly launched on June 25, 2018, is an alternate method citizens

may utilize to request emergency help in the event that a voice call is not possible.

This service is especially beneficial to those who are unable to speak or hear due

to disability or injury.

The Alarm Office was recognized by the Palm Beach County Chamber of

Commerce as the “Station of theYear” for 2018.

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Bureau of Safety Services (BOSS)

The Bureau of Safety Services is

responsible for a number of fire

prevention activities, as well as fire

investigations. Bureau inspectors visit

commercial businesses and multi-family

dwellings annually, ensuring compliance

with the Fire Prevention Code. New

construction must go through Plans

Review to ensure that the building

meets current code. Investigators are

responsible for determining cause and

origin for suspicious fires and making

criminal arrests. The Office of the Fire

Marshal is responsible for the

development, revision, and enforcement

of the Fire Prevention Code in Palm

Beach County.

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24,816 Inspections

5,103

Plans Reviewed

Community Education Programs

Community Educators provide

instruction on a variety of topics, as

well as offer speakers for

presentations.

Presentations include:

•Fire safety for children and adults

•Carbon monoxide awareness

•Disaster preparedness

•Hands-only CPR

As part of our ongoing commitment

to injury prevention, classes are also

offered for fall prevention for our

elderly citizens.

PBCFR personnel can install car

seats by appointment at select fire

stations.

The PBC Drowning Prevention

Coalition offers free swim lessons

for those that qualify .

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926

Community Events

946

School Programs

1,920Smoke Alarms Installed

1,161

Car Seats Installed

208,838Total Number of

Community Members

Reached

4,337Total Number of People

Who Learned CPR

Internet Technology

Services (ITS)

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Self Contained Breathing

Apparatus (SCBA) Shop

Preparations were made to upgrade our

Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Software

from the older 9.1.1 version to the 9.4 version

in July. The upgrade consisted of two parts:

upgrading the dispatch computer hardware and

programs the dispatchers use daily, and

upgrading the software on the Mobile Data

Computer’s (MDC’s) in the county trucks as

well as the cities we dispatch for. This upgrade

was successfully implemented and the CAD

team has been working with the end users to

monitor and configure the software to

PBCFR’s specific needs.

ITS successfully upgraded to the new and

improved tablets, (pictured above) used for

medical reporting, after thorough testing.

ITS implemented a new program called

MobileEyes for Inspections. MobileEyes creates

and stores Quick Access Surveys (QAS) and

processes Safety Inspections. All of PBCFR’s

existing data was converted over to this new

software. Inspections also received new tablets

for easier mobile access and data entry.

This past year, the Respiratory Protection team

introduced a Half-Mask respirator (pictured

above) that includes the use of a multi-gas and

particulate cartridge to help protect our

Operations personnel from breathing in smoke

including in, but not limited to the following

areas, brush/wildland fires and warm zones

within 100 feet of a burning structure. PBCFR is

the first in the nation to provide this particular

personal protective equipment (PPE) as an

option. We announced this at a Press

Conference in June 2018.

We also replaced all of the SCBA Masks with a

more resilient, higher temperature model

(pictured above). The Department supplied GID

(glow in the dark) labels for each mask for

better accountability during events.

Administrative Services

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PBCFR HR Development &

Recruitment conducted

numerous promotional exams

including the following:

(1) Battalion Chief

(1) EMS Captain

(1)Captain

(3) Lieutenant

(1)Driver Operator

PBCFR Human Resources is

currently seeking an Equal

Employment Officer (EEO).

Applications for Firefighter

recruitment typically open every

1-2 years.

The Cadet West program expands upon the current Fire Cadet Youth Program, it now

serves Belle Glade, Pahokee, and South Bay! The program, offered at West Technical

Center in Belle Glade, is open to teens 14-18 years of age.

PBCFR’s Health & Wellness Center instituted a Light Duty Request Form. The form

encourages assignment of personnel to divisions within administrative facilities, dependent

on work restrictions determined by a physician. The goal is to efficiently utilize all Light

Duty personnel to promote productivity.

The Administrative Services Division includes the following sections: Health and Wellness,

Payroll, Recruitment and Human Resource Development, Staffing, Internal Affairs, HIPAA

Compliance, and Records and Evidence.

Finance

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Planning

The Finance division provides fiscal support for

PBCFR as guided by Federal, State, and County

requirements, within the following sections:

• Budget-Purchasing

• Accounts Payable

• Revenue & Contracts

PBCFR’s Finance Division proudly received

$1.85 million in revenues for the Public

Emergency Transportation (PEMT) program.

This program provides supplemental payments

for emergency medical transportation services

to Medicaid beneficiaries.

The Planning Division analyzes data that correlates

with PBCFR’s daily operational output of emergency

response times and alarm activity, as well as

produces the PBCFR annual report.

Planning supplies Fire Rescue Administration, both

internally and externally, with pertinent information

that assists with service levels to:

• Reduce response times

• Monitor repeat 9-1-1 callers

• Provide GIS Mapping for CAD addressing

• Analyze annexation, the impact of land use

changes, and development of regional impact

(DRI’s) on fire rescue service delivery

• Plan where to locate future fire rescue facilities

to best serve the community

• Complete the Insurance Service Office review to

determine Fire Rescue’s rating and property and

insurance rates

Honor Guard Established in 1986, the primary responsibility of the Honor Guard and Pipes & Drums, a part of the

Honor Guard, is to render honors to fallen firefighters, whether line-of-duty deaths, off duty, or retirees.

More often, they now represent PBCFR at more joyous occasions including, parades, recruit class

graduations, promotional, awards, and opening ceremonies, as well as events at the request of the PBC

Board of County Commissioners or their staff.

Chief Mackey’s Promotional Ceremony with Chief Brice and Chief Jerauld along with PBC

Administrator Verdenia Baker

PBCFR Awards Banquet

Special Events

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In April 2018, PBCFR and PBSO collaborated in

Operation Heat Shield II. This exercise contained

several emergency service components with Fire

Rescue focusing on specialized medical assist

teams, Command and Control, and All Hazards

Incident Management. Specifically, the two

organizations focused on establishing initial

command of an active shooter incident,

establishing and deploying specialized medical

assist teams, relocating patients to the casualty

collection points, as well as working under a

Unified Command with PBSO. This large scale

training exercised allowed our organizations to

determine our operational readiness for this

type of incident as well as providing real-life

hands-on training. Nearly 500 first responders

and volunteers participated in this event at the

Herman W. Brice Fire Rescue Administrative

Complex (pictured on the right).

In February 2018, PBCFR’s Training & Safety Division personnel delivered a multi-county, on duty

live fire training exercise with a medical element (pictured above). The nonstop training was

delivered over 10 weeks. Over 2,000 firefighters from various agencies throughout Palm Beach,

Martin and Broward Counties participated. Agencies included West Palm Beach, Palm Beach

Gardens, Boynton Beach, Riviera Beach, Greenacres, Tequesta, Town of Palm Beach, Palm Beach

Shores, Delray Beach, Martin County and Margate.

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When seconds count…

Count on us!