The City of Suffolk Fire Department & Rescue (SFR) provides a wide range of services to the 97,000 residents of the county, including firefighting, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, advanced medical life support services, marine incident response and fire prevention programs. The department is equipped with 9 fire stations, 11 engine companies, 3 ladder companies, 1 heavy rescue company, 8 ambulances for ALS (doctors), 4 tankers, 4 brush trucks, a regional mobile communications bus, a rehabilitation bus, a bus for mass victims and a fire boat. Drew Silverman, president of the Suffolk County Ambulance Chiefs Association, has stated that the new system automatically indicates to the Yaphank operator the exact location of the person calling by mobile phone. This is part of an effort to reduce emergency response times in the county by utilizing computer equipment. The Yaphank Center is responsible for handling all 911 calls for medical or fire services in the five municipalities in the west of the county.
In addition to this, calls can be made directly to 57 fire departments and 17 ambulance companies. The Suffolk County Fire Company is comprised of 316 firefighters, paramedics, officers and administrative staff. To ensure that they are always ready to respond to emergencies, 95% of the time there is an entire team sleeping in the fire station. The Suffolk County Fire Department & Rescue has implemented several measures to reduce response times and ensure that residents receive prompt assistance when they need it most. With their state-of-the-art equipment and highly trained personnel, they are able to provide an efficient and reliable service.
