We protect people, property and the environment by providing
responsive professional and humanitarian fire rescue services
essential to public health, safety and well-being.
South Florida's US&R Teams return from Haiti
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's and the City of Miami's Urban Search & Rescue Teams, Florida Task Force One and Florida Task Force 2, returned from Haiti on Monday, January 25, 2010.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue stations are drop-off locations for donations for the Haitian Earthquake Relief Drive. Since stations started receiving donations, MDFR has received over 350 pallets of supplies. MDFR volunteers and Dade County Materials Management teams have packaged, sorted, and distributed over 100 pallets of supplies in Haiti.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) is Florida's 2009 EMS Provider of the Year. The Florida Department of Health chose MDFR from among several top emergency medical service (EMS) providers in the state. This award honors an EMS provider for taking a leadership role in areas of quality assurance/improvement, patient care, public access, medical control, disaster preparedness, public education and/or training in Florida. MDFR won for currently possessing one of the most comprehensive EMS programs in the nation, which also strongly supports the fulfillment of the Florida EMS Strategic Plan.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Firefighter Catherine M. Wall on December 14, 2009. Firefighter Wall was a 25-year veteran who had been battling leukemia and placed her career on hold to undergo numerous medical treatments. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 31 was recently dedicated to Firefighter Wall. This dedication was a testament to her significant lifetime contribution to the community and to the thousands of hours she spent helping those in need.
More information regarding her memorial services will be announced as they become available.
Drivers must move aside for emergency vehicles - it's the law!
Some drivers are unaware of Florida law, which states that drivers and pedestrians must yield the right-of-way to fire-rescue trucks, law enforcement cars, and other emergency vehicles using sirens and/or flashing lights. When being approached by an emergency vehicle using lights and sirens, motorists should immediately pull over to the nearest curb and wait for the emergency vehicle to pass. It also is illegal to follow within 500 feet of a fire truck responding to an emergency.
Four months following a horrific motor-vehicle collision, Rafael Rios reunited with the firefighters at Miami Beach Station 31 who came to his aid. He thanked them for saving his life. The fire-rescuecrews listened to Rafael's remarks of heartfelt appreciation and were happy to know that their actions had contributed to such a positive outcome for him.
MDFR wins 2009 World Emergency Response Championship
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's (MDFR) Advanced Life Support (ALS) Team is the winner of the 2009 Bill Shearer International Advanced Life Support Competition. The championship event was held at the national Clinical Conference, better known as ClinCon, in Orlando, Florida, last week. This victory is a distinguished accomplishment and a living testimony of MDFR's continuous dedication to EMS and public safety.
Notice of Code Changes to Building/Business Owners
A change has occurred in the Code of Miami-Dade County, adding Sections 14-66 and 14-67 which will affect occupancies with existing fire alarm and fire sprinkler systems. The code requires that you obtain a contract for the maintenance of your fire alarm and suppression systems in existing buildings by September 14, 2009.
By law, every MDFR station is a Safe Haven where new parents can bring their newborns to be turned over to state custody. Florida's Safe Haven Act allows distressed parents to turn over their babies up to the age of seven days to fire and EMS stations or hospitals without fear of punishment or prosecution. To date, 139 newborns have been received at "safe havens" in Florida.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's new officers perform rigorous training in multiple fireground activities such as self-rescue, room orientation, search, thermal imaging and fire-attack hose management These exercises polish skills that the officers will use to train their firefighters on the fireground to stay safe and better serve the community.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received the first shipment of teddy bears from the Adopt-A-Bear Firefighter Fund on May 27, 2009. These special firefighter bears will ensure that children who are transported by MDFR will have a special friend to comfort them. The Adopt-A-Bear Program was created by local investigative reporter Michele Gillen in an effort to bring comfort to children in traumatic situations such as fires and medical emergencies.
More than 4,000 Americans die each year in fires, and approximately 20,000 are injured. Security bars may help keep your family safe from intruders, but they can also trap you in a deadly fire! Miami-Dade Fire Rescue encourages individuals to use the following tips to help reduce the number of fire injuries and deaths associated with security bars on windows and doors preventing fire escape.
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children in Miami-Dade County. Since it only takes one second for such a tragedy to occur, you should always regard your pool as a potential danger.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs presented MDFR with the 2009 Heart Safe Community Award for the STEMI (Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) Awareness Program. Criteria included implementation of a program to improve therapies for patients with acute coronary syndrome, its life-threatening complications and initiatives involving STEMI management. MDFR was chosen from among 400 agencies.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue recently completed its Officer Development Program for Lieutenants, graduating 23 individuals who successfully completed 160 hours of training. This comprehensive program included both classroom sessions and more than 80 hours of hands-on simulations. Modules included incident command training, counseling/discipline, leadership, building construction, safety, and drill development.
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Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) is Florida's 2009 EMS Provider of the Year. The Florida Department of Health chose MDFR from among several top emergency medical service (EMS) providers in the state. This award honors an EMS provider for taking a leadership role in areas of quality assurance/improvement, patient care, public access, medical control, disaster preparedness, public education and/or training in Florida. MDFR won for currently possessing one of the most comprehensive EMS programs in the nation, which also strongly supports the fulfillment of the Florida EMS Strategic Plan.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Firefighter Catherine M. Wall on December 14, 2009. Firefighter Wall was a 25-year veteran who had been battling leukemia and placed her career on hold to undergo numerous medical treatments. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 31 was recently dedicated to Firefighter Wall. This dedication was a testament to her significant lifetime contribution to the community and to the thousands of hours she spent helping those in need.
Four months following a horrific motor-vehicle collision, Rafael Rios reunited with the firefighters at Miami Beach Station 31 who came to his aid. He thanked them for saving his life. The fire-rescuecrews listened to Rafael's remarks of heartfelt appreciation and were happy to know that their actions had contributed to such a positive outcome for him.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's (MDFR) Advanced Life Support (ALS) Team is the winner of the 2009 Bill Shearer International Advanced Life Support Competition. The championship event was held at the national Clinical Conference, better known as ClinCon, in Orlando, Florida, last week. This victory is a distinguished accomplishment and a living testimony of MDFR's continuous dedication to EMS and public safety. 
By law, every MDFR station is a Safe Haven where new parents can bring their newborns to be turned over to state custody. Florida's Safe Haven Act allows distressed parents to turn over their babies up to the age of seven days to fire and EMS stations or hospitals without fear of punishment or prosecution. To date, 139 newborns have been received at "safe havens" in Florida.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's new officers perform rigorous training in multiple fireground activities such as self-rescue, room orientation, search, thermal imaging and fire-attack hose management These exercises polish skills that the officers will use to train their firefighters on the fireground to stay safe and better serve the community.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received the first shipment of teddy bears from the Adopt-A-Bear Firefighter Fund on May 27, 2009. These special firefighter bears will ensure that children who are transported by MDFR will have a special friend to comfort them. The Adopt-A-Bear Program was created by local investigative reporter Michele Gillen in an effort to bring comfort to children in traumatic situations such as fires and medical emergencies.
More than 4,000 Americans die each year in fires, and approximately 20,000 are injured. Security bars may help keep your family safe from intruders, but they can also trap you in a deadly fire! Miami-Dade Fire Rescue encourages individuals to use the following tips to help reduce the number of fire injuries and deaths associated with security bars on windows and doors preventing fire escape.
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children in Miami-Dade County. Since it only takes one second for such a tragedy to occur, you should always regard your pool as a potential danger. 
The International Association of Fire Chiefs presented MDFR with the 2009 Heart Safe Community Award for the STEMI (Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) Awareness Program. Criteria included implementation of a program to improve therapies for patients with acute coronary syndrome, its life-threatening complications and initiatives involving STEMI management. MDFR was chosen from among 400 agencies.
