All Special Operations Units work together to respond to incidents involving unusual situations that the average fire response unit is not trained or equipped for.

Special Operations consists of the following units:

Hazardous Incident Team (HIT)	Heavy Rescue Team (HRT)	Florida Task Force 3 (FL TF-3)
Medical Special Operations Team (MSOT)	Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT)	Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS)

Florida Task Force 3 - Urban Search and Rescue Team (FL TF-3)

Florida Task Force 3 (FL TF-3) is a State sponsored Urban Search and Rescue response team designed to provide a coordinated response to disasters in urban environments, emphasizing locating and extricating victims trapped in collapsed structures, confined spaces, or trenches in largely populated areas. The task force is comprised of personnel from HCFR, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue, and Tampa Fire Rescue. The Task Force is capable of responding to state and national disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, widespread tornadoes and terrorist events. HCFR is the managing agency for the task force and coordinates all administrative activities.