The Sandy Springs Fire Department launched on December 29, 2006. Department employees were recruited from across the metro area and are cross-trained to perform varied jobs duties. All firefighters are Class B licensed and their state-of-art trucks are outfitted with GPS units.
One of the main goals of the department is to provide a state-of-the-art first response system for medical emergencies. The system being established uses the newly updated evidence-based recommendations set by the American Heart Association for treating acute myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), sudden cardiac death and stroke care. The Sandy Springs Fire Department is working with emergency physicians from Emory Hospital to take the lead in providing a comprehensive community-wide program for the treatment of sudden cardiac death. The Fire/EMS response rate has significantly improved due to new equipment and having more services, such as EMS capabilities, thus the response times have significantly improved. There are now Quick Response Vehicles, or QRVs, at all four Sandy Springs fire stations, whose personnel are trained EMTs.
Training is also an important aspect in our public safety model. For the third year in a row, the Fire Department has trained more than 1,000 people in CPR and using Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). With the help of the American Heart Association and backed by our medical staff from Emory Hospital, cardiac arrest saves are up to 13 percent from 3 percent prior to Sandy Springs Fire Department taking over. The City was awarded one of eight “American City & County” magazine’s 2007 Crown Community Awards for the start up of the Sandy Springs Fire Rescue Department and is also a Heart Ready City.
C.P.R. training courses may be taken at the following locations: