HILLSBOROUGH - Orange County Manager Laura Blackmon says she backs a decision to ban the Orange County Rescue Squad from emergency scenes because of safety concerns.

Blackmon said Emergency Services Director Frank Montes de Oca's decision to suspend the squad from the county's 911 dispatch system while the county reviews its performance will not jeopardize public safety.

Orange County Emergency Services, a department of county government, delivers emergency medical services throughout the community 24 hours a day. Most of the time, the EMS team is supported by fire department personnel, trained to the first responder level, who respond quickly from fire stations throughout the county.

The primary focus of Orange County Rescue was extrication from vehicles, but most of the county fire departments now have rescue tools and the expertise to free a trapped person.

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