Commissioners also recognize county resident for educating community on importance of CPR
During its Dec. 17 meeting, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners awarded the Sun City Center Emergency Squad a commendation for its long history of service to the community during times of crisis. Chief Mike Bardell accepted the recognition.
Founded in 1964, the Sun City Center Emergency Squad is one of Florida's last remaining all-volunteer, all-free Basic Life Support ambulance services. Responding to nearly 4,000 ambulance calls from Sun City Center residents per year, the squad continues to expand its impact through community education and preparedness programs, including "Disaster Planning for Homeowners," free CPR and blood-pressure clinics, and collaboration with FirstNet Built with AT&T to strengthen first-responder communication.
The organization has earned numerous national honors, most recently the EMS World/National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) 2025 Volunteer EMS Service of the Year Award for its unwavering dedication and outstanding volunteer service to the community.
Bardell said he was honored to accept the commendation. "The truth is," he said, the true heroes are the 370 volunteers."
He noted that their average age is 70, adding, "Just because we're retired doesn't mean we're done."
The Board also presented a commendation to Brandon resident Andrew Emerton, the founder of Breathe Florida, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping high school students earn an official two-year CPR certification through the American Heart Association at no cost to the student.
Interested in all the details about the latest BOCC meeting? Here is a full recap.
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