Reedy Creek Emergency Services (RCES) was created in 1968 and was conceived and organized for the purpose of providing emergency and non-emergency fire service functions within a very special community. The initial community served was a large construction site known as “Walt Disney World.” The Department was initially designed in a traditional manner that incorporated many of the practices of a typical municipal fire service environment for the delivery of these types of services. One important factor for the initial employment of firefighters in suppression was our isolated location in relation to available resources from the surrounding communities. Building codes that emphasize fire prevention and fixed fire protection systems have allowed the department to now be structured for emphasis on prevention and fixed fire protection systems as opposed to an aggressive fire suppression work force.

The history of our unique community has clearly demonstrated the premise that proactive policies of providing fixed extinguishment and alarm systems in buildings offer significant long-term benefits as related to building occupant and firefighter safety. A major factor with this type of approach is the continual inspection process to ensure that all fire protection systems remain fully operational.

Another aspect of our unique service delivery is that of our rapid Advance Life Support (ALS) EMS response. Providing rapid patient contact, quality treatment, and transportation to the appropriate medical facility are achieved by ensuring appropriate staffing, on-going training and efficient distribution of response resources. This rapid response is provided by a two-tiered system. ALS first response is provided by Medical Assistants Response Carts (MARC) located in all Theme Parks and Down Town Disney as well as ALS first response and transport provided by ambulances which are strategically located throughout the District. Appropriate resources assigned to the suppression section are utilized to support special operation and EMS needs as well as our fire suppression efforts.

Personnel Staffing
The Department is currently staffed with one Fire Chief, one Deputy Chief, five Assistant Chiefs, (one Admin/Communications, one EMS, three assigned Shift Commanders), eight Battalion Chiefs, (six assigned to shift, one Training, one EMS/Q.A.), three Supervisors, (one Communications, two Fire Prevention), and two Assistant Supervisors (both in Communications), 12 Lieutenants, 15 Driver/Operators, 45 Paramedic/Firefighters, 52 firefighters, 24 MARC, 13 Inspectors, 10 Communicators and two clerical personnel for a total of 194 personnel with a 197 authorized. Please scroll to the bottom of this page or click here for some general information that will assist in answering most questions about employment on the Emergency Services team as a Firefighter, Paramedic or EMT.

Fire Prevention Section
The EPCOT building codes insured that when construction began in 1971 many of the life and building safety problems inherited by poor construction practices common in most areas of the country would be avoided. Automatic sprinkler protection systems were installed in all significant structures within the District. Fire and smoke detection systems were common in most buildings. Every control valve and switch in these systems was, and continues to be monitored by a central computerized control system in redundant locations with RCES being one of these monitoring points. The fire service community marveled at the commitment demonstrated by the District and the landowner in demanding a fire safe community. This commitment and partnership has led to an unmatched fire loss record.

The Fire Prevention Section continues to administer and enforce the State of Florida’s Uniform Fire Safety Rules and Standards, certain National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards and the EPCOT Fire Prevention Code. The specific duties, size and functions of the Section have continually changed to meet the increasing safety needs of the public and the District. The primary goal of the Section, however, has remained unchanged. The preservation of life and property through proactive administration and enforcement of applicable codes and standards continues to be the primary mission of the department.

Personnel assigned to the Fire Prevention Section provide a myriad of services, all of which are designed to promote life safety, as well as freedom from the effects of fire and other hazards. The wide range of services include a biannual review and update of the EPCOT Fire Prevention Code; annual fire inspections of over 1,500 structures; weekly inspections of over 450 commercial kitchens; issuance of permits for controlled burns, inspections of construction sites; origin and cause investigations and documentation; internal affairs investigations; and fire safety inspection for ‘hot work’ (welding, spark-producing cutting, etc.).
Fire Prevention personnel also participate in regular inspection and testing of emergency power systems, fire alarms panels, fire detection devices, commercial kitchen fire protection systems and over 1,500 automatic fire sprinkler systems.

The Fire Prevention Section also provides life and safety expertise in the area of conventions and pyrotechnics. Over 500,000 fireworks shells are fired annually within the boundaries of the District with the Section providing permitting and inspection for every pyrotechnic display. Indoor pyrotechnic displays, primarily in conjunction with meetings and conventions, have brought a unique set of challenges to the District. Such displays are closely monitored by section personnel and the overall convention plan for seating, exhibit booth placement, and accessibility to emergency exits are reviewed in detail and authorized by Fire Prevention personnel.

The Fire Prevention Section consists of seventeen personnel. The Section is under the direction of the Departments Fire Marshal and reports directly to the Fire Chief. The Fire Chief is designated Fire Official by Florida Statute.

The Section prides itself in its ability to build partnerships with the community it serves to effectively promote life and fire safety. Personnel within the Fire Prevention Section team effectively with the Emergency Services’ Operations Section, the District’s Departments of Building and Safety, Environmental Services, and Planning and Engineering to provide efficient support to accommodate the safety efforts of the District. They also assist landowners, facility managers and operators, general and subcontractors, insurance underwriters, federal, state and local governmental agencies, and the public to meet their needs and maximize public safety throughout the District.

Operations Section
The section was created in 1968 and charged with the responsibility for fire suppression throughout the District. Today, the responsibilities of the department have grown to include emergency medical services that constitute more than 90 percent of the operational workload. The Section is comprised of six organizational units: Communications, Special Operations, EMS, MARC, Quality Management and Training. The teamwork by these groups exemplifies the dedication to public safety shared by the entire department.

The section’s response personnel are certified by the State of Florida as Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians and Fire Safety Inspectors, with Advanced Life Support personnel certified as Paramedics. These personnel are assigned to a 24-hour rotating shift, staffing four fire stations strategically located throughout the District to minimize response times to any location. Under the direction of command level officers, each shift is responsible for staffing four engines, a tower truck, two 4 x 4 brush trucks, a specialized squad truck, a tanker and seven Advanced Life Support ambulances. In addition, the department has a special 6 x 6 aerial ladder designed to service the monorail beam in off-road areas.

Emergency Medical Services
In 1971, RCES began its delivery of emergency medical services (EMS) to the employees and guests of Walt Disney World. Initially, this service was two-fold. EMS was provided through response to the areas within the District and to provide industrial medical services to the employees of Walt Disney World after the close of their first-aid facilities. In 1976 the Department began the delivery of ALS Paramedic Services within the District. Today, 24-hour shift personnel working out of four fire stations staffing 7 in-service ALS transport units deliver this service. The EMS system is under the medical control of the Orange County Medical Director in its delivery of out of hospital care and protocols.

Medical Assistance Response Cart (MARC)
In 2001, Emergency Services implemented a program know as MARC, Medical Assistance Response Cart, to reduce emergency medical patient contact times in higher demand areas. Customized golf carts outfitted with emergency medical equipment and staffed with paramedics are able to respond to these areas reducing patient contact time while increasing personnel safety by reducing emergency drive time. This program combined with the Public Access Defibrillation Program, implemented in partnership with the Walt Disney World Company serves as a model for future public/private endeavors.

The MARC program continued to achieve the Department’s goals with decreased patient contact times and has had a direct positive impact on patient outcomes. Studies have shown that early access defibrillation can mean an increased chance at surviving cardiac arrest. The MARC units have supported this theory through their rapid response and ALS procedures. So much so that the Department’s Medical Director presented an overview of the program at various state meetings during 2003.

Location continues to be another advantage of the Program. Having consistent crews and station locations have allowed the assigned personnel to build relationships with the area management. These relationships have allowed crews to customize service delivery methods that meet the customer’s needs as well as meeting department standards.

MARC personnel also continued to increase their role in the Department’s public education initiatives. Providing CPR and other medical related training programs have allowed for further development of the citizen’s role in EMS. Additionally, the MARC personnel have been utilized to provide various training classes within the Department.

These personnel are not assigned to 24-hour shift, rather they are assigned to work 8, 10, or 12 hour shifts depending upon need, a system status approach. MARC personnel consist of 24 Paramedics and EMT’s and are not required to be certified Firefighters.

Communications
The Communications Center is housed in a state-of-the-art facility with 18 computer-processing units, a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System, Enhanced 911, and five mechanical alarm monitoring stations.

Communications serves as the initial link between the Emergency Services and the public. The center is the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for all calls to 911 within the District’s jurisdiction. Since 1999, the number of calls to 911 has increased from 22,000 to 23,000 in 2002.

Upon receipt of a call, the Communications Center is responsible for determining the need of the caller, and then either transferring the call to the appropriate law enforcement agency or dispatching appropriate medical or fire units and monitoring their activities for support while operating on the scene of the incident. Fire and EMS units are able to receive call information via a computer mounted within emergency vehicles. From that responding personnel can read all information entered related to the call. They can also provide status information minimizing radio traffic. The section also serves as the monitoring station for all mechanical alarms that are received via an area-wide Automatic Monitoring and Control System (AM&CS) that monitors 5,475 alarm points throughout the District. Other responsibilities of the center include tracking the activities of Fire Safety Inspectors and Operations personnel during inspections and daily activities, as well as supporting the inspection process by providing alarm readouts and confirmations during testing.

The Communications Center utilizes an Enhanced 911 program that not only provides the name, address and telephone number of the caller, but when involving a hotel property, it displays the number of people staying in the room and the native language of the guest. This provides valuable information to the communicator who then is able to determine the exact location of the caller and if an interpreter is needed.

The staff of the Communications Center is trained in Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD) that provides them the skills needed to give potential life saving pre-arrival instructions. In addition to EMD, 75 percent of the Communications personnel are Florida certified as Emergency Medical Technicians, an obvious aid in helping the communicator to distinguish between emergency and non-emergency medical calls, as well as supporting appropriate patient care.

Special Operations
After the events of September 11, 2001, RCES made a decision to develop its own Special Operations and Response Team (SOAR) to meet the needs of our community. This move was to establish a timely response for detection and mitigation of hazardous situations without relying on, or depleting our neighbor’s resources. The SOAR Team currently consists of 36 personnel. In-depth training of SOAR personnel was conducted to ensure their compliance and proficiency as Haz-Mat Technicians, and in the monitoring and detection of chemical and biological agents, and mass decontamination. Training in other associated disciplines continue as the SOAR Team works, trains and establishes relationships with other emergency service providers.
Special Operations coordinates the various special events held within the District, the completion of local, state and federal training requirements, and quality management of department activities. In addition to these responsibilities, the Special Operations Staff provides coordination and preplanning for hazardous condition mitigation and high angle and confined space rescue.

Training
The training of Emergency Services personnel is an ongoing process. Training is responsible for ensuring that all Emergency Services personnel continue to maintain certification in all aspects of emergency response, including fire suppression skills, Basic and Advanced Life Support treatment and skills, and fire safety inspection. In order to accomplish the hours of required training, many Emergency Services supervisory personnel are actively involved in teaching required skills and techniques to their personnel. Among the many areas of expertise in the department are hazardous material handling, vehicle extrication high angle rescuer, and the incident command structure. Training works closely with the Fire Prevention and MARC personnel in educating the public in fire and life safety. The RCES Fire Prevention Clowns and Sparky the Fire Dog present programs to childcare facilities in the District as well as other support programs District-wide. Training has facilitated extensive leadership training and development to all levels of management.

The Operations Section provides both fire and emergency medical resources and personnel at special public events and a number of public education classes to the community it serves. Fire extinguisher demonstrations and CPR classes are in high demand. The section also provides high angle rescue, confined space safety and fire protection systems training classes to various industrial and maintenance groups. The department completed certified terrorism awareness training for more than 400 supervisor/security personnel across the District.

EMS/Quality Management
The Quality Management provides a system of checks and balances for the department. The Quality Management is responsible for ensuring completeness and accuracy of all written reports pertaining to emergency and non-emergency responses. The supervisor also provides oversight for the administration of Basic and Advanced Life Support procedures, including quality assurance, and represents the department on various local and state committees charged with formulating and implementing consistent emergency medical service regulations.

GENERAL INFORMATION - Firefighter, Paramedic or EMT

The Reedy Creek Improvement District receives many inquiries on how to join our Emergency Services team as a Firefighter, Paramedic or EMT.  Below is some general information that will assist in answering most questions about employment in these areas:

FIREFIGHTER (48-hour positions):
Qualifications to become a RCID Firefighter:

• Must have a Firefighter Certification in the State of Florida
• Must have a State of Florida EMT or Paramedic Certification
• Must possess current BLS and Healthcare Provider certifications
• Must posses upon hire or successfully obtain after hire the Orange County Paramedic and/or EMT certifications
• Must possess a valid Florida State Driver license and maintain insurability under the District's commercial vehicle coverage
• Have and maintain sufficient physical ability to perform essential functions of the job and successfully complete and pass periodic physical examinations
       

PARAMEDIC (40-hour positions):
Qualifications to become a RCID Paramedic:

• Must have a State of Florida Paramedic Certification
• Must possess current ACLS and Healthcare Provider certifications
• Must posses upon hire or successfully obtain after hire the Orange County Paramedic certification
• Must possess a valid Florida State Driver license and maintain insurability under the District's commercial vehicle coverage
• Have and maintain sufficient physical ability to perform essential functions of the job and successfully complete and pass periodic physical examinations     

EMT (40-hour positions):
Qualifications to become a RCID EMT:

• Must have a State of Florida EMT Certification
• Must possess current BLS and Healthcare Provider certifications
• Must posses upon hire or successfully obtain after hire the Orange County EMT certification
• Must possess a valid Florida State Driver license and maintain insurability under the District's commercial vehicle coverage
• Have and maintain sufficient physical ability to perform essential functions of the job and successfully complete and pass periodic physical examinations

Please review this page for more information on current job opening as a Firefighter, Paramedic or EMT.

You may contact Personnel Services for employment opportunities at 407-934-7455. For all other Emergency Services questions, please contact 407-560-1962.