Chief Charlie Brunner addresses Rotary

By: Shelia Mader

Last week ’s guest speaker for the Rotary Club was Jackson County Fire Rescue Chief Charlie Brunner. The bulletin said it best, “Charlie Brunner has been a fixture in the public service community since he was a teenager.” He volunteered with Marianna Fire Department and Jackson County Fire Rescue while at Marianna High School. He graduated from MHS in 2006 and from Gulf Coast EMT school in 2007 while working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Washington County

Sheriff ’s Office. Brunner also graduated from Fire College in 2007 and the paramedic school in 2009. He earned his A A degree at Chipola College in 2011 and his BS in Business Administration in 2019. He worked for Bay County EMS for four years before returning to Jackson County to serve his home community. He has 14 years’ service with Jackson County having worked as a lieutenant and a captain before being hired as the Chief in late 2018.

Brunner provided those attending with an overview of his department’s activities and the capabilities they have. Brunner said their 2024 call total was 11,071 total calls. Broken down there were 975 fire calls and 10,096 ambulance calls.

Out of the 10,096 ambulance calls, 7,660 calls to transport. Transports can range from trips to one of the two hospitals in Dothan, Tallahassee, Panama City, or to

Pensacola, Birmingham, or Shands in Gainesville.

Brunner was especially proud to let everyone know that Jackson is the first rural EMS provider in the State of Florida to carry Blood Products on the ambulance. Each ambulance carries one unit of packed red blood cells and one unit of plasma. Brunner said the expiration is 45 days on the blood, but they avoid ‘wasted’ blood by returning it to the blood bank. The blood bank then distributes it to the hospitals where they know it will be utilized within the expiration date. The blood’s original is cost to JCFR is $250 and they are refunded $200 per unit.

Charlie and his wife have one daughter, Annalyn, a son, Kirby, and their newest son, Briggs Melton, born May 30.