Hillsborough County Fire Rescue provides Advanced Life Support medical response and rescue intervention to any ill or injured person in unincorporated
Hillsborough County and Plant City. This territory represents more than 900 square miles. The Rescue Division has oversight of all of the department's
420 paramedics, fire medics, and rescue officers. The department operates 25 advanced life support (ALS) paramedic rescue units and at the present time,
has 39 paramedic equipped, advanced life support engine companies, an advanced life support Heavy Rescue Unit, and 4 advanced life support ladder companies.
All 25 rescue units are normally staffed with two state certified paramedics, one of whom is a lieutenant, and serves as the officer in charge. Each ALS
engine is staffed with at least one paramedic. All of these paramedics, in addition to maintaining current certification with the medical director, must
maintain other credentials such as: Advanced Cardiac Life Support, International Trauma Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.
All career field personnel work on a 24 hour on 48 hour off shift, with an "R" day (shift off) every three weeks. The department's 25 Rescue
Units are strategically placed throughout the county.
The department's paramedics have an extremely aggressive protocol that enables them to attend to any medical emergency with flexible, comprehensive
treatment plans. Some of the more advanced procedures and equipment used by HCFR paramedics include: Rapid Sequence Induction (RSI), C-PAP breathing therapy,
end tidal CO2 monitoring (including waveform), surgical airways, central IV lines, Autopulse® CPR devices, both FAST-1® and EZ-IO®
intraosseous devices, and 12-Lead EKGs.
Because the protocols are at a high level, the department's paramedics are put through a rigorous training and orientation
program. New paramedics must complete five weeks of fire suppression orientation then six weeks of advanced medical orientation. Once the paramedics are
released from orientation, they are placed with a field training officer and begin their competency based training program. This program involves testing
out of five disciplines, a final skills exam, and culminates in scenario testing.
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