Why does a fire truck respond to medical calls?

A fire truck will sometimes arrive at an incident first because it is the closest emergency unit to the emergency scene and we are committed to getting help to your location as fast as possible. All emergency response personnel are well-trained in providing Emergency Medical Services. We have several personnel trained to the Paramedic level and we carry the same equipment found on an Advanced Life Support ambulance.

Although we do not provide patient transportation, we do provide advanced life support until the ambulance arrives for transport. Sometimes our emergency responders even ride in with the ambulance crew to the hospital to assist with medical care.