By Madison MacArthur
For the first time, the Cincinnati Fire Department has earned two national honors from the American Heart Association.
CFD achieved Gold Status in the 2025 Mission: Lifeline EMS Recognition Program for both heart attack and stroke care.
“We’re incredibly proud of this achievement,” said Fire Chief Frank McKinley. “It’s a testament to the skill and dedication of our prehospital providers, and the CFD’s dedication to the coordination of care that ensures Cincinnati residents receive the fastest, highest-quality emergency care possible.”
The Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Award evaluates agencies on a range of performance measures, including those gauging the speed of transportation for stroke and heart attack patients to local hospitals. CFD exceeded the compliance markers across nearly all metrics last year, with transport and pre-arrival performance demonstrating consistently strong results.
“This award speaks not just to what happens in the field, but to the operation and clinical teamwork behind the scenes,” said District Fire Chief Carstell Winston. “It’s about delivering elite-level care, consistently.