Second national distinction this year linked to Fire Department’s on-scene emergency efforts that lead to better patient outcomes
Once again, the Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) has earned national recognition from the American Heart Association, receiving the 2026 Mission: Lifeline® EMS award and the Gold with Target: Stroke Honor Roll designation, county staff has announced.
“This achievement highlights SCFD’s commitment to providing rapid, research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives,” a news release explains.
The Mission: Lifeline EMS award “focuses on agencies’ on-scene patient care, emphasizing the collaboration and contributions of prehospital providers to overall patient outcomes,” the release adds. The Fire Department has received this highest recognition from the American Heart Association each year since 2016, the release notes.
“The Target: Stroke Honor Roll is an additional distinction that highlights the collaboration and contributions of both prehospital agencies and hospitals,” the release says. “To qualify for this recognition, SCFD met specific criteria that reduce the time between a patient’s first medical contact via EMS to hospital arrival and treatment with thrombolytic therapy or thrombectomy intervention,” the release points out.
“In 2025, 4.7% of SCFD Emergency Medical Service (EMS) responses were related to cardiac or stroke incidents,” the release continues. “Each day, SCFD transports more than 100 patients to area hospitals,” with 8% of them dealing with cardiac or stroke emergencies, the release notes.
“Our Sarasota County Fire Department personnel and our partners at local hospitals do incredible work and collaborate on a daily basis to help us achieve this recognition,” said Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun in the release. “We are dedicated to providing the best possible care to all our patients who rely on us, and we thank our partners in care,” he added in the release. “Sarasota County Fire Department is honored to be recognized once again for our continual efforts to better serve our community.”
“This recognition from the American Heart Association exemplifies the high-level care Sarasota County Fire Department provides to the community, when every second counts,” said Sarasota County Emergency Services Director Rich Collins in the release. “Our personnel train daily to serve Sarasota County and this award is evidence of that continuous dedication to excellence,” Collins added in the release.
For more information, visit scgov.net/fire or dial 311.