Operations

The  Sarasota County Fire Department is an all-hazards department that provides fire suppression, emergency medical services (EMS) and special operations, which includes response to hazardous materials and technical rescue incidents. SCFD employs over 500 firefighter/EMTs/paramedics and more than 60 administrative and fire prevention and support staff.

This division encompasses Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Special Operations, and serves as the foundation of Sarasota County Fire Department’s commitment to providing all-hazards emergency response.

Operating 24 hours a day from 25 strategically located stations divided into four Battalions, SCFD personnel are trained, equipped and ready to respond to a wide range of emergencies. 

Our department responds to over 67,000 emergencies annually, of which, approximately 7,000 are fire-related incidents. 

Specialty Teams

SCFD operates several specialty teams, such as the Special Operations team, Marine Operations team, and the Honor Guard.

Special Operations

This highly trained team responds to hazardous materials (hazmat), Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and technical rescue incidents, in addition to fire and EMS calls.

This team is trained to mitigate hazardous materials (hazmat), technical rescue incidents, heavy extrication (vehicle and machinery), rope rescue, structural building collapse rescue, confined space rescue, and trench/excavation rescue.

The team is a Type 1 Hazardous Materials Team for the State of Florida recognized by the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). SCFD team members may be deployed to respond to incidents and disasters throughout the state. SCFD’s team was deployed for Hurricane Dorian, marking the first pre-storm deployment of regional hazmat teams in the state’s history. There are only 19 deployable teams in the state, and SCFD is proud to be one of them.

Marine Operations

The Marine Operations group responds to calls for service involving fire, EMS, and rescue incidents in the waters and lakes in and around Sarasota County. The team operates a fire boat during emergency response and non-emergency patrol. It is operated by qualified fire department personnel who are trained for marine response and boater safety. 

This specialized team responds to incidents in more than 37 miles of coastal and intercoastal waters, along with rivers, lakes and urban flooding.

The group coordinates marine response with the U.S. Coast Guard and other partners, such as the law enforcement and municipalities.

Honor Guard

The SCFD's award-winning Honor Guard’s primary mission is to prepare for, plan and perform at memorial services to honor fallen firefighters and their families. They are present at many SCFD special events and are available to other local fire departments and public safety organizations, and throughout the state of Florida and the country, for funeral services of fallen firefighters or veterans.

They may be requested to represent SCFD in public events, such as parades and opening ceremonies. If you are a local business or community organization interested in having the SCFD Honor Guard perform at your event, please call 3-1-1 in Sarasota County or 941-861-5000.

Wildfire Mitigation 

Wildfire mitigation reduces the impacts of wildfires through multiple tools, including prescribed burning. On average, Sarasota County conducts 60 permitted prescribed burns per year. Prescribed burns are planned and coordinated by certified and highly trained Emergency Services staff in coordination with Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources staff, to ensure that public safety and the health of the ecosystem is the highest priority. Sarasota County maintains approximately 40,000 acres of protected land. Each year, staff conducts prescribed burns on about 7,000 to 11,000 acres.

Additionally, Emergency Services provides educational programs on how to lessen the impacts from wildfires on residential and commercial property. The Florida Forest Service fire management information system mapping tool indicates where all existing/active wildfires are in Florida, as well as where all open burn authorizations are planned on any particular day.

All county-operated prescribed burns are conducted through permitting under the Florida Forest Service. For more information, dial 311. 

SCFD provides Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and transport services to the residents of the City of Sarasota and all unincorporated areas of Sarasota County, including Nokomis and Englewood.

Under our all-hazards model for service delivery, all Sarasota County firefighters are dual-certified as paramedics or emergency medical technicians (EMTs). They operate under standard medical protocols developed by Dr. Marshal Frank, the system medical director with an EMS subspecialty. He works in cooperation with the Fire Department’s Assistant Chief of EMS Operations to ensure elite Advanced Life Support (ALS) care to the citizens and visitors of Sarasota County.

SCFD provides ALS first response with up to 49 ALS units. This includes 25 ALS transport rescues (ambulances), three EMS Captains and 23 non-transport fire engines equipped with ALS capability.

SCFD's goal is to provide ALS first response whether a rescue or fire engine is dispatched. For this reason, SCFD strives to staff all fire engines with a minimum of one firefighter/paramedic and one firefighter/EMT. SCFD is currently working with 10 resource hospitals including, Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Additionally, SCFD works with various municipalities and aeromedical services to ensure optimal care for all.

EMS Tactical Bike Team

The Sarasota County Fire Department EMS Tactical Bike Team is often deployed at special events to provide emergency medical response.

Sarasota County’s EMS bike teams are equipped to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS). All bike teams are composed of two members, with a minimum of one paramedic.

Information can be found at Online EMS Billing. It can also be found by selecting "pay EMS bill" from the menu on this website.  

Visit ChartSwap for billing records retrieval online service. (Attorney Inquiries Only)

For EMS Ambulance billing inquiries (refunds, overpayment returns, payment plans, Medicare inquiries):

Mail can be sent to:
P.O. Box 31321
Tampa, Fl 33631-3321

For questions regarding your bill, please contact EMS MC.

Phone:  866-545-9465

Customer Service closed on the following holidays:

New Year’s Day

Memorial Day

Juneteenth

Independence Day

Labor Day

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day

EMS Contacts: 
Accounts Receivable: 941-861-0646

Frequently asked questions about the whole blood program implemented by SCFD in February 2025.

View the SCFD Whole Blood report encompassing year one of  the program. 

Where does whole blood come from?  
Blood is collected from volunteer donors, screened for diseases, and verified to have non-significant levels (low titers) of antibodies against Type A or B blood. White blood cells are filtered out, but the blood is left whole, with plasma and platelets to promote clotting and red blood cells to carry oxygen. 

The blood will come from the SunCoast Blood Centers.  

SCFD EMS Captains will secure blood in temperature controlled and monitored medical storage devices.  

What type of blood will SCFD be transfusing?  
SCFD will be using low-titer type-O+ whole blood (LTOWB) when transfusing eligible patients suffering from hemorrhagic shock. You may see this blood product abbreviated as ‘LTOWB’.  

“Low-titer” means the units of blood which we transfuse will be screened to ensure they have low levels of antibodies. This makes it safer to transfuse the blood we carry into patients with any blood type.  

“Whole blood” contains all blood components – including red blood cells, plasma, platelets, and other clotting factors. In the hospital, patients often receive “component therapy” consisting of only one of these three blood components at a time. When a patient is bleeding profusely, they lose all of these components – and all of these components can be replaced by transfusing whole blood.  

The blood, which has a shelf life of 21 days, is sealed in cooler boxes that will be in the care of EMS Captains to ensure proper preservation. Unused units of whole blood approaching the 21 day shelf-life will be provided back to SunCoast Blood Centers and will be switched with new units.

Who is eligible to receive prehospital transfusion? 
Prehospital whole blood may be administered to patients who meet the inclusion criteria with significant bleeding (traumatic, obstetric, gastrointestinal, etc.) and signs of hemorrhagic shock.  

SCFD personnel follow our system-wide prehospital care treatment protocols to determine when a patient should receive transfusion.  

The treatment protocols also provide clinical guide of how the transfusion procedure should occur.  

What types of injuries can whole blood be good for?  
Patients injured in motor vehicle crashes (high-force blunt trauma), crush injuries, victims of violence, and those who sustain traumatic amputations all experience major blood loss.  

Patients may also experience life-threatening hemorrhage due to medical conditions like profuse gastrointestinal bleeding, a ruptured aorta or bleeding during or after giving birth (peripartum hemorrhage).  

Can a patient refuse transfusion or opt out of whole blood transfusion program?  
Yes. Our personnel are required to obtain verbal consent from any adult patient prior to initiation of transfusion – provided the patient can communicate with our providers. If parents are present, they must provide consent prior to transfusion of children.  

When patients cannot provide consent because of the nature of their injuries, or when a parent is not readily available and a child is at risk of dying, our personnel will do everything possible to save lives.  

As part of our whole blood transfusion training program, our personnel are trained to look for an Advance Directive for Health Care. Conscious patients with decision-making capacity can refuse blood transfusion at any time. For unconscious patients our providers will quickly search for an Advance Directive for Health Care  before initiating transfusion.  Bracelets, stickers, and other items indicating “No Blood” are not considered valid.  This must be indicated on a valid form with the patient’s signature as well as a witness signature.   

Will ambulances carry blood?  
No. The blood supply is extremely limited, and the skill of prehospital transfusion requires specialized training.  

Our department will deploy units of whole blood with our more highly trained EMS supervisors. These EMS supervisors are spread across the Sarasota County.  

Crews in any of our four battalions can request one of the EMS supervisors to respond to help care for a patient suffering from hemorrhagic shock.  

Will this really make a difference? If so, how?  
Yes! A growing body of evidence demonstrates improved outcomes for patients who receive blood in the field prior to arriving at the hospital. Evidence suggests early whole blood administration (defined as less than 35 minutes from time of injury) in severely injured trauma patients can increase survivability.  

A 2022 study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons determined that whole blood increased 30-day survival 60% and reduced the need for blood product transfusion during the first 24-hours of hospitalization by 7%. 

What if a patient develops a transfusion reaction during transfusion or after arrival to the hospital?  
Prehospital transfusion reactions are rare but are a possibility. Recognition of and treatment for transfusion reactions is covered in our blood transfusion training protocol.  

SCFD personnel will treat any actual or suspected adverse reactions accordingly, including the administration of emergency medications.  

Can I donate blood?

Community members can donate whole blood by visiting their nearest SunCoast Blood Center donation location, looking up a blood drive near them on the SunCoast Blood Center website, stopping by any SCFD Open House, or calling 1-866-97-BLOOD. 

Whole blood donation takes around 15 minutes and can be completed every 56 days. Learn more about donor eligibility on the SunCoast Blood Center website.

The Sarasota County Fire Marshal oversees the fire prevention, code enforcement, and inspection activities of the department. The Fire Marshal is certified by the state of Florida and is responsible for enforcing the Florida Fire Prevention Code (FFPC) as adopted by the State Fire Marshal every three years in compliance with Chapter 633.202, Florida Statutes.

This division is responsible for:

• Prevention of fires.
• Elimination of fire and life safety hazards in buildings.
• Review of site and development plans for new developments.
• Review of building and fire suppression plans for new construction and remodels.
• Enforcement of maintenance requirements of fire protection equipment and systems.
• Enforcement of the Florida Fire Prevention Code (FFPC) and all National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes adopted by State of Florida.

Are you a developer or builder in Sarasota County in need of fire plan review forms or fire inspection forms and other checklists? SCFD offers online access to county fire plan review forms, fire inspection forms and detailed checklists. For any questions, call 941-861-2290.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a burn ban?

A burn ban is an ordinance put into effect when drought index criteria are met that prohibits all open fires in unincorporated Sarasota County that are not specifically permitted. A burn ban will be automatically implemented when Sarasota County's Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) County Averages map calculation, as published by the Florida Forest Service, meets or exceeds 500. The burn ban will also apply to all municipalities that receive fire services from Sarasota County Fire Department and the corporate limits of any municipality that does not already have a conflicting burn ban ordinance.

A burn ban means that Sarasota County residents cannot have any open fires of any type, including campfires, bonfires, yard and trash burning, etc. There are some exemptions to this rule, including firework displays that are properly permitted, cooking on barbeque grills or pits as described in Section 54-116 of the Sarasota County Code, or any other valid state or county authorized burn such as outdoor burns authorized by the Florida Forest Service.

How will I know a burn ban is in effect?

In the event the drought criteria is met, Sarasota County will announce the implementation of the burn ban on scgov.net, Sarasota County social media and by working with local news media to share the information.

When will a burn ban be lifted?

A burn ban will be automatically lifted when the drought index falls below 500 for seven consecutive days. This will also be announced scgov.net, Sarasota County social media and through local news outlets.

What are the exceptions to a burn ban?

• Public or private fireworks displays that are rendered by licensed pyrotechnic contractors with the appropriate permit.
• Use of barbeque grills or barbeque pits where the total fuel area does not exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height.
• Activity that is an exception to the General Prohibition Against Open Burning under the open burning ordinance (Sarasota County Code, Sec. 54-116).
  • Use of liquified petroleum gas devices such as grills, camp stoves, or other devices that solely burn liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, butane, naphthalene or other liquid fuel.
  • Open fires for the sole purpose of cooking food, provided the fire is contained in a grill, camping stove, or similar device and only burns clean wood, charcoal, commercially available fire starter logs or briquettes, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, or butane.
  • Recreational or Ceremonial fires by established organizations for recreational or ceremonial purposes provided the fire is contained and only burns clean wood, charcoal, commercially available fire starter logs or briquettes, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, or butane.

For additional questions on what is permitted, call the Sarasota County Fire Marshal’s Office at 941-861-2290.

What can I do to keep my home and loved ones safe?

Sarasota County Fire Department reminds citizens to take the following actions to protect their families and homes from fire danger: § Create three zones of defensible space around your home or business. Defensible space should be up to 200 feet from a structure.

• Clear trash and dead vegetation from the yard.
• Remove leaves and debris from roof, gutters and under decks.
• Have a plan and an emergency preparedness kit packed in case you need to evacuate quickly, especially if your home is near wildlands.
• Monitor local media for updates on road closures, smoke conditions and other hazards.
• Use extreme caution when grilling, camping and discarding cigarettes.
• Don’t use anything (i.e. lawn mowers) that may create sparks outside on dry, windy days.
• If you see something, say something! Call 911 if you see fire in your area.

Customers can pay a False Fire Alarm Bill online at: Pay False Fire Alarm Bill

For Alarm Type, Cause, Fines, and other questions, please call the Fire Marshal’s office at (941) 861-2290.  For Payment inquiries only please call Financial Management AR at (941) 861-0646.

For Fire Inspection questions, please call (941) 861-2290.

Sarasota County Fire Department offers a variety of community risk reduction programs designed to help residents, schools, businesses and community organizations prevent emergencies, improve safety and better prepare for life-threatening situations.

Our programs focus on fire prevention, life safety education, injury prevention, smoke alarm awareness, home safety, child passenger safety and community preparedness. Programs may be available for schools, neighborhood groups, civic organizations, businesses, healthcare facilities, assisted living facilities, law enforcement partners and public community events.

For general information, call 3-1-1 in Sarasota County or 941-861-5000.

Public Education Topics

Sarasota County Fire Department personnel provide fire and life safety education throughout the community and in local schools. Programs may include age-appropriate safety presentations, fire prevention education, emergency preparedness information and hands-on demonstrations when appropriate.

Educational topics may include:

• Fire prevention and escape planning
• Fire extinguisher training
• General home safety visits (fire, falls, smoke alarms, pool alarms, electrical/charging)
• Life safety and injury prevention
• Emergency preparedness
• Hands-Only CPR and AED use and registration

Programs are available for residential communities, schools, businesses, assisted living facilities, healthcare facilities, law enforcement agencies and other community groups.

Child Passenger Safety Seat Inspection Program

Sarasota County Fire Department offers child passenger safety seat inspections to help caregivers make sure car seats are installed and used correctly.

During an inspection, SCFD Child Passenger Safety Technician-qualified personnel will check the car seat installation and teach caregivers how to properly install and use the seat on their own.

Inspections are free and are available during designated SCFD community events and open houses. Appointments are recommended when available. Each inspection typically takes approximately 30 minutes. Please bring the car seat to the inspection. The child does not have to be present.

For more information about child passenger safety seat inspections, call 3-1-1 in Sarasota County or 941-861-5000.

For additional car seat safety information or to register a car seat or booster seat with the manufacturer for recall notifications, visit nhtsa.gov/therightseat.

Safety House Program

The Safety House Program gives children the opportunity to learn about fire prevention and life safety through interactive, simulated safety exercises. Children learn what to do in common emergency situations, how to recognize hazards, and how to practice safe behaviors at home and in the community.

When available, the program may also include opportunities for children to see fire apparatus and meet Sarasota County firefighters.

Smoke Alarm Installations and Home Safety Inspections

Smoke alarms provide an early warning when smoke or fire is present in a home. Sarasota County Fire Department offers smoke alarm installations and home safety inspections for eligible Sarasota County residents upon homeowner request.

To learn more or to request a smoke alarm installation or home safety inspection, call 3-1-1 in Sarasota County or 941-861-5000.

Special Event Fire and EMS Coverage

If you are hosting a large event in Sarasota County and believe fire or emergency medical services coverage may be needed, please contact Sarasota County for guidance. Complete this request form.

For special event fire or EMS coverage questions, call 3-1-1 in Sarasota County or 941-861-5000 if calling from outside Sarasota County.

Hands-Only CPR Instruction

In 2018, the Sarasota County School Board approved Hands-Only CPR instruction for high school seniors at county public schools. Outreach events educate approximately 2,500 students annually. This program is also offered to businesses and neighborhood homeowner associations.

Hands only CPR can double or triple a patient’s survival chance. For more information about Hands-Only CPR visit heart.org.

PulsePoint Program

Sarasota County is one of the safest places to have a sudden cardiac arrest, due to its active participation in the PulsePoint Program, a free mobile app that alerts CPR-trained individuals about nearby cardiac arrest events and tells them the location of the closest Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).The 911 dispatch center is also able to provide hands-only CPR instruction over the phone to 911 callers. More information at PulsePoint.org.

Learn more about additional partner programs below. 

File of Life Program
This program offers a method for first responders to be aware of a patient’s medications and/or medical conditions by providing the following resources:

Fill out a File of Life form here. Print this document and keep it in a prominent area of your home in case of emergency.

Free card and magnet for individuals (by request through ASL.org).

For Organizations: Customized File of Life forms can be created and purchased through fileoflife.org.

Resources for Educators and Families 
This program has been a pillar of the National Fire Protection Association’s educational programs for more than 40 years.

Close Before You Doze Program
The Close Before You Doze Program shares educational materials about this potentially life-saving measure that can protect against fast-moving home fires. 

The Sarasota County Fire and Emergency Medical Services are funded through a variety of sources:

• Non-Ad Valorem Assessments (Fire only)
• Ad Valorem Millage (EMS only)
• Impact Fees
• User Fees
• Grants

Funding for the Fire Service

Sarasota County uses a non-ad valorem Fire Assessment to fund fire services. The assessment has been in place since 1996 and includes funding for fire protection, fire prevention, hazardous materials response and technical rescue. 

Non-ad valorem assessments are paid by property owners in advance of the upcoming fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. Fire Assessments are based upon an Equivalent Billing Unit (EBU). One EBU equals 100 square feet. The minimum EBU is 7.5 EBUs.

Funding for the Emergency Medical Service

An ad-valorem EMS millage, based on the taxable value of the property using a proposed .73 millage rate, funds emergency medical services.

A municipal services taxing unit (MSTU) bills users of the EMS system. For example, patients who are transported by SCFD rescues (ambulances) are billed based on transport use and mileage. Patients who have insurance or Medicare may have a reduced bill or no out-of-pocket costs.