VIDEO: IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY
Since being approved by voters in 2006, the third installment of the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) has helped Escambia County’s Public Safety Department drastically improve its equipment and capabilities. Thanks to the Local Option Sales Tax, the Escambia County Fire Department has been able to upgrade its equipment and vehicles, as well as expand fire stations, and even paid for the construction of the new Perdido Key Fire Station, which opened in 2014. During the final three years of the current LOST, Escambia County’s Public Safety will be able to begin construction on new fire stations for Beulah and Osceola. These will replace aging facilities with modern buildings housing life saving fire and rescue equipment.
TAKE A SHORT SURVEY ABOUT THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY ESCAMBIA COUNTY'S PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT.
Fire Fighters now even have access to thermal imaging cameras, which allows them to “see through the smoke” and identify patients needing rescue inside a burning building.
In addition to the improvements mentioned above, the Local Option Sales Tax has allowed the Escambia County Fire Department to replace aging fire trucks and update the equipment worn by fire fighters in the line of duty. When the current LOST is completed at the end of 2017, a total of $23 million will have been spent on improving Escambia County’s Fire Services alone.
The LOST funding of Escambia County’s Public Safety doesn’t end there. More than $6.7 million has been budgeted to improve the County’s EMS division. The County’s fleet of aging ambulances has been slowly updated, allowing rescue crews to safely respond to those in need with some of the most advanced equipment available.
Additions to the EMS fleet also include laptop computers in the ambulances to improve response times and increase the amount of information shared from the ambulances to local hospitals. This equipment allows local medical providers to be better prepared for a patient arriving in an ambulance.
The LOST has also provided improved medical equipment including defibrillators, stair chairs, stretchers and improved radio systems for the first responders to use during their emergency calls.
In this day in age, information and communication is key to saving lives, especially during an emergency situation. That is why Escambia County has used more than $11 million to upgrade and improve their emergency radio system. Today, the system is now anchored by more durable radio towers that are better designed to withstand hurricane force winds.
Also included in this effort, is the addition of an enhanced 911 system. Paired with the other updated communication tools first responders, like fire fighters and paramedics, spend less time trying to figure “where” a patient is and more time on trying to save lives or property.
VIDEO - FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CALL 911.
The improvements to Public Safety would not be complete without equipping the Emergency Operations Center with the best, most reliable equipment to be used to during major events, including hurricanes and floods. The current LOST has allowed for more than $1.2 million worth of improvements to the Emergency Operations Center and to the County’s mobile command vehicle. During the past year, both the EOC and the mobile command vehicle have been put to good use responding to tragic situations, allowing giving emergency mangers the best opportunity to be successful in saving lives.
If the fourth round of Local Option Sales Tax moves forward, the County will continue this effort to improve the equipment and capability of the Public Safety Department. However, we would like your help to determine what kind of improvements you’d like to see from Public Safety going forward. Please plan to join us at an upcoming public meeting to discuss future projects or take our online survey to let us know where you want Escambia County to be in 2028.
Upcoming Meeting Schedule:
- Tuesday, October 7, 5:30 p.m. at Charity Chapel, 5820 Montgomery Ave
- Tuesday, October 14, 5:30 p.m. at Brownsville Community Center, 3100 West DeSoto Street
- Thursday, October 16, 5:30 p.m. at Perdido Bay Community Center, 13660 Innerarity Point Road
- Monday, October 20, 5:30 p.m. at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 800 Nine Mile Road
- Thursday, October 23, 5:30 p.m. at Jim Bailey Middle School, 4110 Bauer Road
- Tuesday, October 28, 6 p.m. at Pensacola Beach Community Church, 918 Panferio Drive
For more information, visit MyEscambia.com/community/lost, follow @EscambiaLOST on Twitter for forthcoming information and email [email protected].
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