Walton County Fire Rescue named Florida’s top EMS provider

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. – Walton County Fire Rescue has been named the top emergency medical service in Florida for 2022 by the Florida Department of Health.

The Florida Health 2022 EMS Provider of the Year award was presented by the Florida Department of Health at the State EMS Advisory Council meetings in Orlando last week.

“This award highlights the men and women who provide lifesaving services in times of crisis in Walton County and the exceptional work they do,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson.

“This is a small way of honoring the brave medical professionals who ensure the public’s health and safety in times of emergencies.”

Walton County Fire Rescue (WCFR) is the sole provider of emergency medical transport in Walton County north of the Choctawhatchee Bay – currently operating without a hospital in their area of responsibility which serves approximately 44,000 residents, WCFR said.

According to WCFR, the award recognizes WCFR for its outstanding initiatives in public education and training and for providing exceptional quality assurance and improvement.

This year WCFR provided CPR classes to students in every public high school in the county and implemented the “Sign-up, Stand Out” program, which assists residents in installing explicit home addressing, WCFR said.

In 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic, WCFR initiated its Community Paramedicine Program, which provides in-home care to those seeking medical attention while keeping ambulances in service to respond to emergencies.

“Walton County Fire Rescue transports around 5,000 patients per year and responds to just under 7,000 calls,” said Walton County Fire Rescue Chief Tracey Vause.

“We have the best medical personnel in the business, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Walton County Fire Rescue is a CAAS Accredited EMS Service providing pre-hospital care to residents and visitors of Walton County north of the Choctawhatchee Bay. WCFR joined the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in April of 2017.