FR-27-1003 · 1 appearance

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1Oct 20, 2026
Board of County CommissionersR29Regular businessNo outcome in the minutes
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9m
Fire Chief
Morning, Commissioner.
Jack MarianoChair
But one. Good afternoon.
Fire Chief
Yeah. Uh item R twenty nine is F R twenty seven one zero zero three. Uh we brought this to you today. It's a um uh an opportunity to showcase a really uh fantastic public-private partnership that we wanted to bring to you. As you're well aware, Strategic Goal 1.1 is to expand the capacity and capability of fire rescue. With that in mind, we've been looking for the last couple years to figure out a way to bring air ambulance transport back into the county. So we currently don't have a helicopter stationed inside of Pasco County. if we call for a helicopter
now, we reach out to several other companies, about three different ones that are located outside of the county. And if we look at um some of the response times
Way too fast.
Thank you. As you can see here, uh out of the different companies that we reach out to at this time, we're looking at about a 21-minute response time. And that varies. That's a uh 50% uh average. Uh if we look at the 90% tile, that number actually goes up quite a bit. So, in conversations that we've had uh reaching out and exploring this private-public partnership, we uh settled on MedTrans. They were a company that came forward to us and was significantly interested. In placing a helicopter, their helicopter inside of Pasco County. And so we're looking at decreasing our response
times to some of our most critical calls. We're uh, you know, we're um discussing gunshot wounds, severe uh car accidents, uh severe pediatric calls, uh, and some uh some uh particular types of uh respiratory stroke and cardiac calls as well, but reducing that response time uh roughly in half. By working through this partnership. So uh essentially the way the partnership works is that um we will partner with Med Trans. MedTrans is the owner of the helicopter, they are all things pervading to the helicopter.
They own, maintain, fuel, um, fit. Uh fly everything involved with the helicopter. Pasco Fire Rescue is going to be responsible for staffing the paramedic on that helicopter. And they've actually contracted with a third-party hospital group within the area to supply the nursing staff on that helicopter as well. The beautiful thing about that is when we look through this operation, it is a 24-7 operation. And on the Pasco Fire Rescue side, any and everything that we have to do to Supply for this helicopter is 100% fully
reimbursed back to us. So that's where this zero cost expansion into our services comes into play. And then just briefly, one last thing, you know, some of the community benefits, it 100% improves response times to our most critical patients. Um it's a closer clinical integration with the existing fire rescue direct medical direction. Essentially What that means is our medical director will be the medical director for the flight program. The 20 to 25 paramedics that we are going to train up to a higher level
to operate on this helicopter are also going to be floating around on our ambulances inside the county as well, which provides an additional level of service to those. Uh they'll be able to use those skills that they acquire for the helicopter as well as while they're in their ambulances inside the county as well. That's another benefit to us. Um and of course, um, we do have ten hours of community benefits with the helicopter when we're talking about uh prom promises or touch of trucks or things like that we may be able to use uh to be able to have the helicopter come and just
educate And then this is a well-established program that's within the state and nationally. Med Trans is well established inside the state and nationally as well. So this isn't uh an out-of-the-box um breaking the mold kind of a thing. We're more of a a pirate on this type of uh scenario, but it's a situation where we can bring an extended level of service to our county for essentially nothing. And we will be performing more Monthly and quarterly review uh performances as well. And it is a five-year contract. Uh, I know we've discussed
a few other things here and there. We do have in the um contract some clauses where we can exit if we need to. Uh, this is new to our area, so we don't know the exact extent of the success uh as far as financials go. So I know we've had some conversation about revenue possibilities and things like that, but right now we're at the area where we're not uh capable of making those decisions. But and of course this does come with a recommendation for you guys to approve. And I'm here to answer any questions.
Ron Oakley
Mr Rocley. I'm just Chief, I'd just like to say a first thought about this project and knowing how expensive helicopters are and how they're maintained and very, very expensive and all. My first notion before y'all came to see me was no, we can't do that. We can't afford that. That's not but this scenario where it's no cost to the county, it it gives a lot of uh good things that can happen to our citizens and for our citizens. I have many people reaching out, hollering
at Pas blaming Pasco County because we don't have a trauma one hospital here that we can take our closest patients to uh for their cure and and we don't have that and that's that's not done by Pasco County. That's done out in the hospital. hospital and independent companies with hospitals and how they do that, but uh uh this this will be very worthwhile for the citizens of Pasco County.
Seth WeightmanVice Chair
Yes sir. Commissioner
Jack MarianoChair
Weightman.
Seth WeightmanVice Chair
Thank you. Chief, you're a bulldog?
I I like the pirate reference of the pirate question. So pirates and pirate revenue possibilities. Since they're using since the deals to use our uh part of our staff as time goes on and we see how the program's performing, is there any opportunity to make a percentage? uh off of call since our folks have been used outside of our county to make this a revenue generator to some level.
Fire Chief
There possibly may be, sir, but like I explained earlier, this is kind of new ground for us here within the organization. We have to run this play out uh, you know, for a couple of years, uh at least the first year or two to where we can get a better understanding of what that those financials look like. But on both sides.
Seth WeightmanVice Chair
If it's successful and it's, you
know,
performing like we are hoping and anticip anticipate anticipate it will Um And then out of county calls pick up. I'd hope that there's a clause in the contract that could allow us to potentially go back and renegotiate if it's amenable to both parties.
Fire Chief
There are clauses where we can get back and renegotiate, com Commissioner, but yeah, I I'm assuming that if it's very successful that, you know, Med Transit is going on to stay with our operation just as much as we are with them and we can explore things at that time. Thanks, Chief.
Lisa YeagerSecond Vice Chair
Can you just
Fire Chief
Mr Yeager?
Lisa YeagerSecond Vice Chair
Can you go back a slide? I just wanted to see
Fire Chief
Yes ma'am, if I can work this. I didn't do it well last time.
Lisa YeagerSecond Vice Chair
Oh okay.
I just wanted to read it real quick.
Jack MarianoChair
Yep.
Mr. Starkey?
Kathryn Starkey
Um I'm in full support of this. I just told you that in the meeting. Um but I um I you may or may not be aware my husband had a stroke Friday night and um while it the ten minutes it took for the ambulance to get there while he was having the seizure on my floor, um, was very difficult. It seemed like it was taking them forever. Um But Uh uh. I just appreciate their p professionalism and I don't know where they came from. I never asked them. So if you
could um get me who came. Um I would like to send them a thank you now. They saved his life so appreciate it.
Fire Chief
Yes, ma'am. And our prayers out to your husband.
Kathryn Starkey
Yeah.
Jack MarianoChair
Yeah. Um, I'd like to say, Chief, when I first read this, as Commissioner Oakley did with my appointment coming up, I'm going, Helicopters, what are we doing here? Yeah. Trying to cut the budget. But uh literally this this whole agreement is so well structured, um, and good to see you get the background. It's a classic public private partnership. No expense for us, extra security for our people, could be a difference of a life saving thing for for one person out there. So pr great work digging through, going through it and uh bringing
this back to us.
Fire Chief
Well we appreciate the support. And I even we even brought along some representatives from the helicopter company just so they could verify for you that they are maintaining the helicopter and that's their responsibility. So But they want
Ron Oakley
to see stationed at Zephyrhills, I understand. Yes sir. Is that right?
Jack MarianoChair
Did the gentleman want to speak?
Fire Chief
Hello.
No.
Jack MarianoChair
You
got
a yes, you're just taking it. All right. All right. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Unanimous. Welcome to Pasco County. Look forward to working with you. Thank you, Chief.
Fire Chief
Yes, sir. Thank you.