Emergency Response Division
The Emergency Response Division (ERD) is the largest and most visible Division of the Miami Fire Rescue Department. It is responsible for the protection of lives and property of the residents and visitors to the City of Miami through the provision of Fire Suppression/Mitigation, Emergency Medical Services, and Special Operations.
ERD staff consists of an Assistant Fire Chief who has overall responsibility for the Division, a Special Operations Chief who is responsible for the Technical Rescue Team, Hazardous Materials Team, Dive Team & Fire Boat crews. There is an ERD Operations Officer, the Fire Department's Safety Officer, Fire ERD Staff Officer and three Special Operations Staff Officers all who provide administrative support for the division. The Operations personnel include 678 sworn firefighter/paramedics (or EMT's) who work on three 24 hour shifts. The breakdown is 13 District Chiefs, 56 Captains, 153 Lieutenants, and 456 Firefighter/paramedics housed in 15 Fire Stations whithin 3 Districts.
ERD continues to meet the demand for the community's traditional needs of Fire mitigation and ever expanding more complex needs such as Hazardous Materials emergencies, complex technical Rescue emergencies and water related emergencies handled by the dive team and Fire boat.
2015 Alarm Information
Emergency Medical dispatches: 86,002Fire/Other dispatches:14,003
Major Code 1 Fires 23
TOTAL DISPATCHES:100,005
Cardiac Save Rate
In 2015, Miami Fire Rescue EMT's and paramedics arrived on 562 patients in cardiac arrest (sudden death) as well as 29 patients in respiratory arrest. Due to advanced life support efforts by our personnel, 140 cardiac arrest patients were treated and responded with return of spontaneous circulation. This resuscitation rate of 25% is far above the national average of 8 %.
Significant Accomplishments for 2015:
- Placed Rescue 23 and Rescue 16 in-service to ensure we maintain the expedition response to all our citizens. Stocked Engine 13 to have an additional suppression unit available in the north east corridor of the city.
- Completed our 2nd SWAT Medic class at the Auxiliary Law Enforcement Officer Academy - a class of 8 MFR Firefighters and Paramedics graduated as Auxiliary Law Enforcement Officers.
- Promoted more than 130 Fire Captains and Fire Lieutenants in order to fill vacancies created by our recent attrition. Officer development training was given to all these new officers to assure they are prepared for their duties and responsibilities associated with managing personnel and resources at both emergency and non-emergencies.
- Conducted Rope Rescue Operations Training for all our crews with ladder trucks in order to better prepare them to assist in the rescue of a victim in a high rise or multi-story building.
- Completed our Bail Out Training for all our Firefighters and Officers.
- Delivered Rebreather Training for all our Air Program and Technical Rescue Team members
- Completed the revision of our Hi-Rise Firefighting procedures and developed a training curriculum to be delivered department wide in 2016.
- Acquired special protective equipment and delivered training to all our members to ensure heir safety when responding to patients who have potentially come down with a wide variety of emerging infectious diseases.
- Did a wide variety of cross training department wide to ensure proficiency in our Alarm Office/Fire Central, Fire Boat Operators/Deckhands, and all our Special Operations disciplines.
