Jacob Blanton, Rescue Division Chief

Jake Blanton is a longtime resident of the Jacksonville area. He began his service with JFRD as an emergency communications officer (911 dispatcher) in 1994. In 1997, Blanton transitioned to the field as a firefighter.   
   
Blanton has been a Florida-certified paramedic for 27 years. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Supervision and Management from Florida State College of Jacksonville in 2011.  
  
Blanton progressed through the officer ranks of JFRD relatively quickly. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2003, captain in 2005, and district chief in 2008. As a district chief, he was primarily responsible for supervising the EMS care rendered by JFRD personnel in a quadrant of the city. In this role, Blanton’s duties also included acting as a liaison between hospital emergency departments, administrative staff, and rescue personnel, and he routinely performed command staff functions at major incidents. In 2015, Blanton joined the JFRD administrative team as the Deputy Division Chief of Rescue. As Deputy Division Chief of Rescue, he established policies, and ensured compliance, related to JFRD’s daily EMS activities. 

Throughout his career, Blanton has had the opportunity to serve in many unique and important roles with JFRD. As mentioned previously, from 1994-1997, he served as a 911 dispatcher. Blanton has twice been deployed to hurricane damaged areas to assist with response and recovery efforts. On several occasions throughout the years, Blanton has served on committees tasked with revising and updating various protocols, including the emergency medical guidelines which govern the treatments rendered by JFRD personnel. He has also had stints as the Quality Improvement Manager and the Fire Communications Manager. 
  
With his appointment as the Division Chief of Rescue, Blanton has reached a professional milestone in his fire service career. As division chief, he leads a fleet of 65 ALS rescue units staffed by more than 400 uniformed personnel that serve a response area of over 840 square miles, the largest metropolitan area in the United States. With nearly 90 percent of all JFRD calls for service being medical related, the Rescue Division will continue to play an extremely vital role in achieving the JFRD mission, the latter a foundation firmly planted in a commitment to professionalism and a passion for excellence by all JFRD personnel.