TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis held an operational readiness call on the threat of the coronavirus with the Florida Fire Chiefs Association, Executive Board. Joining the CFO on the call was Representative Cary Pigman who is a medical doctor, Chair of the House Health Market Reform Subcommittee and Medical Director of Hardee County Fire Rescue.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “In the event coronavirus makes its way to Florida – our first responders are the tip of the spear when it comes to saving lives and reducing the magnitude of its spread. What we’re hearing from our first responders is any call-to-action on the coronavirus may require a multi-regional response – so we must ensure our first responders are coordinating and talking to each other in case we need to move people or assets around the state.

“On the call, we highlighted the importance of training exercises on responding to the virus. Whether they’re live-action, or table topic exercises, it’s important our firefighters are re-familiarizing themselves with procedures for dealing with infectious disease.

“Many experts believe it's not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ the infection spreads throughout the United States, so we’re going to keep working with our first responders to make sure they're getting the equipment and information they need to keep our communities safe.”