Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Achieves Florida PEDReady Gold Tier Recognition

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Achieves Florida PEDReady Gold Tier Recognition

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue has officially been recognized as a Florida PEDReady Gold Tier agency through the Florida Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Recognition Program, recognizing the department's commitment to providing exceptional emergency medical care to pediatric patients.

The recognition, awarded by the Florida Emergency Medical Services for Children State Partnership Program, confirms that Pompano Beach Fire Rescue has met comprehensive standards for pediatric emergency preparedness, training, equipment, protocols, and patient care.

The Florida Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Recognition Program recognizes EMS and fire-rescue agencies that demonstrate a strong commitment to pediatric emergency care, education, preparedness, and disaster response. Because pediatric emergencies occur less frequently than adult emergencies, maintaining specialized pediatric skills, equipment, and clinical readiness is especially important.

With this achievement, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue becomes the 16th Fire-Rescue or EMS agency in the State of Florida and only the second agency in Broward County to achieve this recognition.

"This recognition is a significant achievement for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue and reflects our unwavering commitment to delivering the highest level of emergency medical care to every member of our community, particularly our youngest and most vulnerable patients," said Fire Chief Pete McGinnis. "While pediatric emergencies may not occur every day, our responsibility is to ensure our personnel are trained, equipped, and prepared to respond with exceptional care whenever that call comes."

Chief McGinnis specifically recognized EMS Chief Aldrich, whose leadership and dedication were instrumental throughout the process.

"EMS Chief Aldrich worked tirelessly to ensure our fire department met the rigorous requirements necessary to achieve Gold Tier recognition," McGinnis said. "His commitment to pediatric readiness, training, and clinical excellence helped guide our department through this process and played a significant role in this accomplishment."

"This was truly a team effort," McGinnis added. "The leadership of Chief Aldrich, combined with the technical expertise, training, and preparation of our Fire Rescue personnel, helped ensure we were ready to demonstrate the exceptional standard of pediatric care our team provides every day."

Achieving the Gold Tier reflects a department-wide commitment by Pompano Beach Fire Rescue personnel to ensuring children receive the highest level of emergency care when they need it most.

In addition to earning this achievement, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue has earned an Insurance Service Organization (ISO) rating of 1, the highest ranking for the effectiveness of the fire protection in a community. ISO rates 44,670 fire departments across the country, and only 242 or 0.5% have received a Class 1 rating.

As Pompano Beach Fire Rescue proudly celebrates 100 years of service in 2026, this prestigious recognition marks another milestone in the department's century-long legacy of excellence, innovation, and preparedness, while reinforcing its unwavering commitment to providing exceptional service and care to the community.