Niceville area to dispatch closest fire unit to emergencies

NICEVILLE, Fla. — A new emergency response model designed to send the closest available unit to 911 calls will take effect May 1, the City of Niceville has announced.

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The “boundary drop” system will allow the Niceville Fire Department, East Niceville Fire District, and Valparaiso Fire Department to respond to emergencies based on proximity rather than jurisdiction, according to the City of Niceville.

Previously, each agency responded only within its designated area, which in some cases meant a farther unit was dispatched instead of the closest one.

Under the new system, GIS analysis was used to identify the nearest primary unit for each location, and that unit will now be dispatched regardless of city or district boundaries.

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The change is expected to primarily affect EMS calls and single-engine responses. Larger incidents, such as structure fires, have already been handled using multi-agency responses from the closest available units.

City officials said the new model is expected to improve response times and overall service. In some cases, emergency crews could arrive three to four minutes sooner.

Map showing fire jurisdictional boundaries for Niceville, Valparaiso, and surrounding areas — A map outlines jurisdictional boundaries for Niceville, Valparaiso, and nearby areas involved in the new response model. (Contributed)

Map showing fire station response times across Niceville and Valparaiso — A map shows estimated fire station response times across Niceville, East Niceville, and Valparaiso. (Contributed)

Residents in Niceville, Valparaiso, and surrounding unincorporated areas may begin to see fire units from neighboring jurisdictions responding to emergencies after the change takes effect.

Niceville Fire Department Chief Alex Kukulus emphasized the importance of the partnership among the three agencies.

“We appreciate the growing relationship between the three fire departments. The ability to collaborate, train together, and respond with the closest unit, puts the community first,” Mr Kukulus said.