Engine Upgrade in Tavernier to Provide Advanced Life Support

Monroe County Fire Rescue is pleased to announce that it will be upgrading existing fire rescue service in the Tavernier community with the recent retrofit of Engine 22 from Basic Life Support (BLS) to Advanced Life Support (ALS).  The newly revamped engine will be staffed with a full-time paramedic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week effective August 1.  The Tavernier community will now have two full time ALS units – Rescue 22 (transport) and Engine 22 (non-transport) which means that an advanced level of medical care can be provided to patients of Tavernier at the scene and enroute to the hospital.

An estimated 80 percent of the U.S. fire service provides some level of emergency medical services (EMS) to their citizens through first responders, emergency medical technicians (EMT’s) and paramedics.  Generally, first responders and EMT’s provide basic life support (BLS) which involves medical treatment not including more advanced medical procedures and medication administration that can only be done by a licensed paramedic.  The additional level of advanced medical care provided by paramedics at the scene and enroute to medical facilities can often make a tremendous difference in saving lives when every second counts.

Monroe County Fire Rescue uses the latest available technology and equipment when responding to medical emergencies, including “Telemedicine” where paramedics on the rescue units have been specifically trained to  interface directly on screen with doctors and staff at hospitals via satellite web link.  This is a huge advantage as doctors can literally “see” what is going on inside the rescue unit and begin providing essential patient care before the patient physically arrives at the hospital.

Fire Chief James Callahan is excited about the technological advances in patient care.  “We are committed to providing the resources needed to effectively and efficiently serve the constituents of Monroe County to the best of our ability.  It requires the dedication and expertise of many individuals to ensure our staff have the necessary training and equipment and I am thankful to all who serve in this regard – we could not ask for a better group and team effort in the MCFR family.  We encourage the community to stop by the fire station at any time to view the newly upgraded engine and talk to our firefighters about any fire safety concerns they may have” he said.

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