Words That Matter

Every day looks a little bit different at Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD) Emergency Communications Center in Sanford, Florida (USA). In the 344 square miles of their service area, they experience a lot of fluctuation in their population of nearly 500,000 people due to visitors flocking to the beautiful sunshine state.

Located just a short drive away from the Orlando Sanford International Airport, they welcome waves of tourists seeking the unique combination of wilderness, natural trails, and water—combined with the contrasting city life of downtown Sanford and nearby Disney World (45 miles southwest).

From the shoreline of Lake Monroe, Sanford—dubbed as “the Friendly City”—is full of brick-lined streets, towering oaks, and elegant storefronts among Victorian-style homes. Downtown Sanford offers restaurants, art galleries, a historic theater, and seasonal street festivals such as the farmers market.¹

Seminole County packs in both population and parks with over 130 miles of paved and wilderness trails across open space and greenways. These destinations draw in active adventurers walking, biking, hiking, and exploring trails, walkways, and boardwalks. Some popular destinations include the Seminole Wekiva Trail, the Cross Seminole Trail, and the Sanford Riverwalk that offers a particularly tranquil view.²

But the wilderness that draws people out also brings brush fires and unique emergencies.

“We often get calls from people on the trails such as lost individuals, medical episodes, and misplanned adventures where hikers are running out of water or sunlight,” said Keri Troyano, SCFD Emergency Communications Program Manager.

SCFD has also taken a proactive approach to providing scholarships for water safety swim classes and designating water watchers to invest in drowning prevention. Another passion project is the SCFD’s response to fires involving electrical vehicles and golf carts with lithium-ion batteries, as these pose unique difficulties to extinguish.

Outside of SCFD’s typical service, they recently did a hands-on training at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Garden to build connections for informed responses. They became familiar with the unique geography of their 116-acre campus, home to over 350 animals— some of which are rare or endangered species.³

The dispatch team

Seminole County Fire Department is a countywide agency that provides both medical and fire service to individual cities under a consolidated system. Beyond Sanford, this includes Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Lake Mary, Longwood, Oviedo, and Winter Springs. In 2025, SCFD handled nearly 127,000 calls in total, though only 55,000 came through the 911 line. That’s an average of 350 calls per day with 98% answered in 10 seconds or less.

SCFD has been using the Medical Priority Dispatch System^™ (MPDS^®) since 2010, adding the Fire Priority Dispatch System™ (FPDS^®) in 2016. Though the majority of their callers speak English, about 15% of their calls are from Spanish speakers, which they assist through a language line and text messaging with built-in translation.

When fully staffed, SCFD employs 36 Emergency Dispatchers, each working a 12-hour shift from 6:30 to 6:30 (am/pm), a schedule that is favored among the staff. The center has four total shifts that alternate—two day shifts and two night shifts—with four supervisors on the floor.

But what makes SCFD special isn’t their ability to serve the public round the clock. It’s the way they work as one.

“Our shifts stay together,” Troyano said. “That key element has created a really strong bond among our EMDs and EFDs. In fact, some have worked alongside each other for years, and you can tell from the seamless ways they operate.”

Yet that bond doesn’t intimidate or alienate newcomers. Upon arrival, the shift is already rooting for them, giving each trainee the support and tools to be successful.

“We have a welcoming environment where newly hired staff members feel part of a team and shift,” said Beth Facello, SCFD Training Coordinator. “Our dispatchers take on the role of helping everyone belong.”

Team efforts

Communication has been another thread that binds the SCFD center together. Troyano works hard to make sure that impactful information is provided to everyone—not just supervisors—so that no one feels left out of the loop.

With a long-term perspective, the center embraces a tiered system to guide their staff through career trajectories with a culture of investment in their key players.

“We are also big into peer support,” Facello said. “Recently the fire department invited us into their peer support as a joint effort to check on our employees. We offer training, breaks, designated peer support, stress management classes, and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) to take care of our people.”

Adding to that supportive culture is the ability to strengthen relationships and add a bit of fun to 911. Whether that means going all out for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, coordinating a lunch with the chiefs, or coming up with interactive training opportunities, the extras create connection.

The center has invited their Emergency Dispatchers to climb aboard fire trucks, do in-depth training at the airport, or try out waterway training that adds experience and fun to the mix.

“We are here for 12 hours each shift, so we try to make it an enjoyable place to be and help alleviate the stress that inevitably comes with the job,” Facello said.

The SCFD center tries to transfer that same energy to the community by volunteering. Most memorably, Emergency Dispatchers spent a day off at an animal shelter to assist with washing and drying blankets and building storage cabinets. They also volunteered at a children’s hospital to clean rooms, disinfect toys, and put forth a face for 911, connecting beyond the phone.

ACE insights

SCFD has always aspired not only to follow policies but also to execute them correctly. Soon, they had their hearts set on the data-driven achievement of becoming an International Academies of Emergency Dispatch^® (IAED^™) Accredited Center of Excellence, which wasn’t a tough sell for an already close-knit and compliant team.

“One of the most unique things about our Emergency Dispatchers is their desire to continue learning,” Troyano said. “They constantly challenge and question concepts until they are sure they have it right.”

With passion and communication as their guide, they planned meetings with administration, spearheaded their quality assurance efforts, ensured policies met standards, and confirmed documents were signed and submitted in a timely manner.

“It was a team effort to meet our tight deadlines,” Troyano said. “As individuals stepped up to lead the charge, their spots had to be filled on the floor—but they were not empty for long. We were very proud of everyone coming together to pursue that goal.”

Facello especially relied on this support, grateful to know her training officers would pick up the pieces she had set aside while devoting her efforts to the ACE process.

“On the administrative side, communication was key,” Troyano said. “We held regular meetings with all stakeholders and then met again as a center. We could not have been successful without these shared perspectives.”

Though accreditation is a group goal, success comes from each individual understanding what matters, especially in terms of compliance.

“We had to have clear communication with the team, particularly when it comes to Q-ing calls—what is required and how it can be achieved,” Troyano said. “It seems minor, but we had to explain why every single word matters.”

Conclusion

When the IAED informed SCFD’s Emergency Communications Center of their official dual accreditation (fire and medical) on Jan. 13, 2026, they delighted in knowing they’d earned a distinction few fire departments have received. This accolade was added to the organization’s other accolades, including designation as an ISO Class 1 Fire Department, accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), and accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS).

To celebrate the achievement, each shift determined with their supervisors how they would honor the well-earned recognition. Some shifts chose to participate in meditation while others had celebratory lunches. Regardless of the festivity, they knew their efforts hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Fire Chief Matt Kinley recognized us all along the way, giving us a shout-out for a job well done,” Troyano said.  

Sources

1. “Things To See and Do.” City of Sanford, Florida. 2026. https://sanfordfl.gov/visitors/things-to-see-and-do (accessed March 3, 2026).

2. “Parks, Trails & Natural Lands.” Seminole County Government. 2026. https://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/parks-recreation/parks-trails-and-natural-lands (accessed March 3, 2026).

3. “About the Zoo.” Central Zoo & Botanical Gardens. 2026. https://www.centralfloridazoo.org/about-the-zoo (accessed March 3, 2026).