State grant funds $330K for emergency support vehicle for Pinellas County first responders
Regional rehab trailer helps first responders
Emergency crews across Pinellas County have a new tool to battle extreme heat and exhaustion while working high-stakes emergency calls. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Emergency crews across Pinellas County have a new tool to battle extreme heat and exhaustion while working high-stakes emergency calls.
Emergency Support Unit
What we know:
Dunedin Fire Rescue trained Thursday on the new Major Incident Support Unit known as Rehab 62.
The mobile unit can drop to 50 degrees inside, offering crew members a place to cool down and get medical monitoring on scene.
The vehicle includes a hydration area, generator, wash station, self-retractable awnings, microwave, coffee machine and bathrooms.
Dunedin Fire Rescue partnered with the county to house and staff the vehicle, which can respond to fires, hazardous material calls, SWAT incidents and more across Pinellas County.
Firefighters Describe Heat Recovery
What they're saying:
"It's all going to kind of matter about how long the scene is going to take, how many personnel are there," Dunedin Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Mark Zipeto said. "We have to help the community, but to help the community, we have to make sure that our people are safe and well cared for."
Crews used the unit earlier in July during a gas leak in Redington Shores.
About 20 first responders utilized the trailer on a day when heat indexes reached 110 degrees.
"Not only did we see our people or our first responders from other agencies come through there, we also had a couple of people from the gas company come through. They're the ones working. They are first responders at that point," Deputy Chief Zipeto said. "In the old days, when I was a firefighter on the line working, you would come out of a structure, you would find a tree, sit under it, maybe have a fan with a bottle of water and maybe get your vitals taken, go back to work. This is a much more controlled and deliberate way of doing that operation."
Funding Firefighter Safety Equipment
By the numbers:
The trailer, tow vehicle and equipment cost $330,000.
Pinellas County used a state grant to pay for it.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Dunedin Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Mark Zipeto, who explained how the unit operates on scene, as well as Pinellas County.