TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis spoke to the Florida Fire Chiefs Association during their Winter Business Meeting to thank them for their sacrifice and service to Floridians and discuss how he has been supporting firefighters throughout the pandemic. Since last February, the CFO has been working closely with firefighters and first responders and advocating for their protections as they have been on the frontlines fighting COVID-19.
 
CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said, “I had a great conversation with Florida fire chiefs this morning to discuss how I can further support our first responders as they work to support our communities every single day. Over the last several weeks, I have toured vaccination sites in Ft. Myers, Miami and Tampa to see firsthand the tremendous help our firefighters are bringing to the fight against COVID-19. Not only have they tackled the pandemic head on, Florida’s firefighters are still working around the clock to respond to the same types of emergency calls they received pre-pandemic.
 
“I have been proud to advocate for vital protections for our fire service personnel as they risk their own health in often dangerous situations with limited PPE to protect our communities. I will continue to fight for our first responders to be vaccinated as soon as possible, especially as hurricane season quickly approaches. We cannot have a robust economy, good schools, great jobs and good quality of life in Florida without our first responders working in the background 24-7-365.”