The Villages Public Safety Department Highlights

As Fire Chief of The Villages Public Safety Department, I am proud to share several highlights from our most recent monthly report. The work reflected in this report demonstrates the commitment of our personnel to providing timely, professional, and compassionate service to our community every day.

One of the most meaningful incidents highlighted involved resident Frank Svrcek, who suffered a cardiac arrest in Marsh Bend. A neighbor immediately began CPR, and Engine 48 arrived within minutes. Our crew quickly deployed a LIFEPAK 35 and successfully revived Mr. Svrcek. The response time was just 3 minutes and 37 seconds. This incident is a powerful example of how early CPR, rapid emergency response, advanced medical care, and teamwork can come together to save a life.

Our personnel also responded to several significant fire-related incidents. An electrical fire at The Villages Golf Cars at Lake Sumter Landing was quickly contained to the area of origin, preventing significant structural damage. Crews also handled two residential incidents caused by lightning strikes and another residential fire involving a lithium-ion battery charging failure. In each of these incidents, rapid intervention and coordinated fireground operations helped limit property damage, and no injuries were reported.
During July 2026, our department responded to 2,477 incidents, including 1,817 emergency medical responses and 660 fire and other responses. Approximately 73 percent of our total call volume was EMS-related, which continues to demonstrate the important role emergency medical services play in our overall service delivery model.

Our average response time for all emergency calls within The Villages was 5 minutes and 43 seconds in July. Average turnout time, the time from when our personnel are alerted until the apparatus begins moving, was 42 seconds, remaining better than our 45-second benchmark.
Ambulance performance also remained strong. Critical and high-acuity patients had an average ambulance response time of 6.7 minutes, while moderate- and low-acuity calls averaged 7.6 minutes. Our ambulances transported 1,519 patients during July, bringing our fiscal-year-to-date total to 15,815 transports.

Our Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit continues to provide an advanced level of stroke care directly to patients in the field. During July, the MSTU responded to 89 calls, with 27 patients admitted to the unit. Nine acute interventions were performed, including clot-busting medication, mechanical thrombectomy-related care, anticonvulsant treatment, and intubation. Since the program began, the MSTU has responded to 1,069 calls. This resource allows emergency department-level stroke diagnostics and treatment to begin directly at the patient’s side when every minute can make a difference.

Training and preparedness remain an important part of our mission. During July, our personnel completed 3,946 hours of fire training, 347.35 hours of EMS training, and 180 hours of technical rescue training, totaling more than 4,400 hours of professional development. This continued investment in training helps ensure our firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and officers remain prepared for the wide variety of emergencies we encounter.

I am extremely proud of the men and women of The Villages Public Safety Department and the level of service they provide each day. Whether responding to a cardiac arrest, structure fire, medical emergency, or any other call for assistance, our focus remains the same: protecting life and property while providing the highest level of service possible to the residents and visitors of The Villages.

Brian Twiss,
Fire Chief
The Villages Public Safety Department