PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Two specialized units serve as a savvy back up to Pasco County Fire Rescue first responders while braving the heat in intense elements.

Pasco County Captain and EMT Peter Arnold gave News Channel 8 a look inside ‘Rehab One.”

The support unit is equipped with seats that can be lifted to treat first responders, monitors to check vitals, a fridge to store food and drinks along with much more.

“They can be evaluated, they can be treated, we can calm them down, monitor their vitals, and then we can also give them a space away from everything that’s going on.”

Captain Arnold explained crews work in cycles or ‘bottles’ which can run from 25 to 35 minutes or 45 minutes to an hour all while wearing 50 to 70 pounds of equipment.

Once the equipment comes off, the outdoor elements begin to be felt through the body according to Arnold.

Pasco County Fire Rescue EMS Supervisor Justin Nealon explained before the cool-down process can begin; crews must step out of the elements and have their equipment taken off.

“The next thing we want to do is if they are alert and able to talk and follow commands, get them hydrated, and drinking water, get a fan on them, get a wet towel on and cool them down,” Nealon said.

Another rehabilitation unit is also accompanied with ‘Rehab One’ at times called ‘Rehab Two.’

“Our primary bubble is the city of Zephyrhills and East Pasco,” said Pasco County Fire Rescue volunteer firefighter Timothy Cunningham. “Because we’re volunteers, it takes us time and on the smaller events, a single house fire, [or] a car fire…they’re done in an hour and a half before we can even get over here, but for the small events on the east side of the county, certainly we go to those.”

Arnold adds the specialized units have been a great addition, as years prior relief efforts looked different.

“Before, we were sitting on the bumpers in the middle of rainstorms, and now with how everything’s changed –we’ve got more people, and incidents are becoming bigger and longer,” Arnold explained. “The county saw that and used as an opportunity to say, ‘hey, we want to take care of our own.'”

Arnold adds ‘Rehab One’ is also used to assist nearby jurisdictions as well.