The Peak Rescue Division is designed to move quickly and respond to the medical needs when demand rises
Hillsborough County, Fla. (Nov. 12, 2025) - Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is creating a Peak Rescue Division of roving paramedics and ambulances that will offer efficient and quick response times to medical calls and transports, helping to save lives throughout the County.
The Peak Rescue Division will add a total of 48 Hillsborough County Fire Rescue first responders. They will include 20 rescue lieutenants and 26 paramedics. A section chief and training officer will manage the division. The goal is to have the Peak Rescue Division, which will be administered under the Rescue Division, operating in the spring of 2026.
The Board of County Commissioners approved the new division at its Nov. 5 regular meeting. It also approved the purchase of five new rescue units for the Peak Rescue Division.
The division will have a total of 10 units that will be on the move and operating away from fire stations. It will be staffed 12 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. The units will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., which is the busiest time for emergency calls.
Because the Peak Rescue units won't be assigned to a fire station, they will be more nimble and flexible to respond to calls wherever they may be needed, helping to reduce response times. This also will free up paramedics who are assigned to specific stations to respond to more calls for service.
With the additional units in service, Fire Rescue expects to reduce some of its current reliance on third-party ambulance companies. While Fire Rescue expects the number of medical transports to increase, the medical transport revenue will offset the increase in cost to manage the additional units.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue has been diligently exploring options to better serve the emergency medical needs of Hillsborough County's growing population. In May 2024, it created a pilot program with five roaming three-person units using existing crews to cover peak periods in key areas. The pilot program proved a success. It helped reduce response times by increasing the number of staff and availability during high demand. In certain circumstances, a rescue unit in the pilot program could arrive two minutes faster than a rescue unit leaving from a fire station, a critical improvement when every second counts to save lives.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is accepting applications for the Peak Rescue Division through Nov. 29. Apply today.