THEODORE STONE, DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR

The Director of Public Safety administers a department providing a wide variety of essential community services. Although at first glance these services appear very diverse, in actual practice, with the exception of Animal Services, they are interrelated and interdependent.

The Director of Public Safety coordinates daily emergency services, along with system-wide emergency communications for EMS, fire/rescue, and emergency management.  Animal Services are delivered on a countywide basis, as well. This close coordination allows for a smooth transition from daily operations to that of countywide disaster response and recovery functions.

In addition to the divisions/sections above, the Director of Public Safety is responsible for direct oversight of the Petroleum Storage Tanks Bureau. This Bureau is responsible for performing Florida Petroleum Liability Insurance and Restoration compliance and enforcement inspections, and the Pre-Approval/Voluntary Cleanup portion of the Petroleum Contamination Cleanup Program and State Cleanup Project Management. These services are provided under contracts with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The Director of Public Safety is also responsible for oversight of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Performance Management section. This section is responsible for coordinating the system-wide EMS quality improvement program, improving the “standard of care” based on evidence-based medicine and supported by clinical outcome data. This section works closely with the Medical Director, who is contracted with by the County, to provide medical direction and education for the 633 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics in the Seminole County EMS System.

In 2005, Seminole County's population of 411,744 ranked twelfth in comparison to Florida’s 66 other counties however it ranked third in density due to its relatively small geographic area of 344.9 sq. miles, 308.2 being land area, the remainder large lakes. Seminole County has become increasingly urban in character, no longer primarily a low density suburban and agricultural community. (Source: UF/Bureau of Economic and Business Research, Florida Statistical Abstract, 2006).