OUR DEPARTMENT

Life and property are safer in the City of Tamarac more than ever before. Over a quarter century of professional firefighting growth, supported by the vision of the Mayor and the City Commission, have provided a safe and secure community.

Tamarac Fire Rescue employs state-of-the-art technology. We have the ability to administer the latest clot busting drugs for heart attack victims, thereby saving critical minutes and lives. We have an aerial platform truck capable of elevated rescue of fire and accident victims, elevated fire streams, and serving as a fully equipped engine. Personnel are cross trained as Firefighter/Paramedics or Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technicians.

HISTORY

In the early years of firefighting in Tamarac, the job was left to a few eager young firefighters who would jump into their 1974 Plymouth Valiant to answer calls. Anticipating continued growth of the Community and the need for dedicated, well-trained emergency responders, the City Council created the Tamarac Fire Department in 1975 and made Bernard G. Simon the first Fire Chief. That was quite awhile ago and in fact on June 12, 2009, Jim Budzinski retired after 30 years of dedicated service with the last 17 years serving as the Fire Chief.

Headquarters was located at a small picnic table outside of the old Rock Island Road City Hall. In 1977 operations improved with the delivery of a new American La France Engine in addition to two older, but serviceable 1960's pumpers. Firefighters remained on duty overnight by sleeping on the hose beds of their apparatus in the Public Works building on the corner of Pine Island Road and Commercial Blvd. Later, police holding cells at the City Hall at 5811 NW 88 Ave. were also utilized to house firefighters. In 1978 a new 85 foot aerial platform, made by LTI, was delivered and in 1979 a new 1500gpm engine from Seagrave became part of the fleet. In May of 1980 a new Ford Pumper was
added to the Department and housed in the new station.

An Emergency-One HUSH pumper was purchased in 1989 and another in 1991. Expansion into EMS began in 1996 and the Tamarac Fire Department transitioned into the Tamarac Fire Rescue Department with the purchase of six Medic Master Rescue units and our LTI was refurbished in 1998.

As the City of Tamarac grows, we continually strive to meet the challenge to best serve the residents of our great Community.

Who We Are

Tamarac Fire Rescue has been serving our Community since 1975. We pride ourselves on providing high quality fire and emergency medical services to our residents, businesses and visitors Responding to emergencies and remaining proficient with the skills required to prevent and suppress fires, deliver emergency medical care, and educate members of our Community in health and safety issues requires constant vigilance and training.

The members of our career department are highly trained and dedicated individuals with the ability to provide assistance in a variety of emergency and non-emergency situations. Our members include three fire safety inspectors who are also State certified firefighters. We are extremely proud that 90% of our firefighters also hold Paramedic certifications and the remaining 10% are Emergency Medical Technicians.

In 2004 we opened Station 15, our third fire station, and provided an additional ALS engine and emergency rescue unit with crews. We currently operate four rescue and three fire suppression units, with each unit capable of providing advanced life support emergency medical care.

Tamarac Fire Rescue was named the 2004 EMS Provider of the Year by the EMS Division of the Florida Department of Health, and we are committed to providing this level of service to our Community.

Our Fire Prevention Bureau provides a variety of services. We consult with developers and contractors to ensure code compliance for new projects being built in the City. We are involved throughout the planning and construction process, as well as conducting periodic inspections throughout the year, to ensure continued code compliance and safety for our Community. Our Community education programs are coordinated by a Community Education Preparedness Specialist and are conducted by firefighters and others.

Tamarac participates in the Broward County Mutual Aid Program, which enables us to draw on emergency resources throughout the County when a major incident occurs or when our personnel are committed to multiple incidents involving all of our units. We also participate in the Statewide Emergency Response Plan which allows us to obtain resources from around the State in a large disaster, such as a hurricane. Under the terms of this Agreement, members from Tamarac can be called to provide services throughout the State and have been assigned to assist with large wildland fires and hurricanes; we also maintain Automatic Aid Agreements most of our surrounding cities.

At our newest Fire Station we maintain and operate the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during major incidents.  At the EOC all of the City Departments come together to coordinate efforts during the period immediately before and following a hurricane.  The EOC maintains contact with County and State officials to ensure that Tamarac’s needs are known and resources are obtained.  The City has developed a COOP or Continuity of Operations Plan to ensure essential functions remain or can be restored after a natural or manmade disaster.  During time of activation the EOC coordinates the efforts of all employees and volunteers to provide essential services to those most in need and to restore regular services as soon as possible. We encourage all members of our community to prepare a personal emergency plan and work together within each neighborhood to establish a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. CERT training is available through TFR and it is one of the most effective programs to help you understand emergency response and prepare for a disaster.

We are proud to represent the men and women of Tamarac Fire Rescue in service to our Community. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at (954) 597-3800.