BROWARD cOUNTY sHERIFF'S oFFICE

Critical Incident Response Resource: Knowing whom to call, where to respond and how to gain access is crucial when responding to any critical incident. OPERATION SAFE SCHOOLS uses the latest technology to give deputies a new tool to deal with school emergencies. Developed in cooperation with the Broward County School Board, floor plans were obtained and photos were taken on campus and from the sky. A second generation compact disk that contains emergency contact numbers, photographs and floor plans for schools in BSO service areas was created and loaded into laptop computers of all road patrol deputies and supervisors. This information was also given to specialized units, i.e. SWAT, school resource deputies, communications dispatchers and members of the new BSO Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services. This information is continually upgraded to improve the response to schools. Plans are to continue this effort to include all public and private schools in Broward County, government buildings and municipal complexes, churches or synagogues that request to be included and other locations where a tactical response would require this critical information. Public Access Defibrillation: This program, managed by the BSO Emergency Medical Services Bureau, has assisted with the placement of, and on-going support for, automated external defibrillators within the community. Most recently, the public access defibrillation program has placed AED’s on each Tri-Rail train within the Tri-County region. This program is already directly responsible for six lives saved since its inception. The BSO Department of Fire Rescue received a $110,000 Broward EMS grant, allowing the placement of additional AEDs on Broward County mass transit buses and water taxis. In May 2005, Broward County was named the first "Heartsafe County" in the State of Florida by the American Heart Association due to the efforts of the Broward Sheriff's Office and other partner agencies in promoting public access defibrillation.

For more information please contact Oscar Llerena at oscar_llerena@sheriff.org.