The Niceville Fire Department is launching its first paramedic program, backed by a $10,000 donation from the Mayor Randall Wise First Responders Foundation that will fund training, equipment and program development.
- The money is being used to purchase training aids, manikins, EMS bags, ECG simulators and other supplies to support both the current paramedic class and future training efforts, according to the department.
Four members of the department already hold paramedic certifications. An additional 10 firefighters will begin paramedic school with support from the donation, completing more than 1,200 hours of advanced training over the next 11 months. Classes will be conducted on-site at the fire station around rotating shift schedules, with students also completing clinical training at local hospitals, emergency rooms, medical facilities and with ambulance providers.
The program marks the department’s transition from Basic Life Support to Advanced Life Support, expanding what its crews can do for patients before they reach a hospital. While BLS focuses on stabilization, CPR, oxygen administration and basic emergency treatment, ALS allows paramedics to perform cardiac monitoring, IV access, advanced airway management, medication administration and ECG analysis in the field.
The department will work with Okaloosa County EMS to certify existing paramedics in local protocols and operational standards as it prepares to launch ALS services. Additional ALS-equipped units are expected to be added next year after the paramedic course is completed.
“This contribution is made in memory of the late Mayor Randall Wise, whose lifelong dedication to Niceville continues to inspire everything we do,” the foundation said. “Born and raised in the community, Mayor Wise spent decades serving others with humility, faith, and a deep love for his hometown. From his leadership as mayor to his service as a volunteer firefighter, he always put the well-being of Niceville first.”
The foundation said it was created to carry on Wise’s spirit of service.
“We hope this contribution helps strengthen the care and protection of the community he loved so much,” the foundation said. “It is simply one small way we can honor his legacy and give back to the city that meant so much to him.”
More information about the Mayor Randall Wise First Responders Foundation is available at mrwfrf.com.
