The Salem (OH) Fire Department spent the majority of last year’s shifts on medical calls, and in doing so arrived via ambulance, as opposed to fire truck, for the last six months—an arrangement that has worked out well, reports morningjournalnews.com.
Since June, the department’s new Engine 2 went out on 307 calls, while the ambulance ran 889 calls. Old Engine 2 had 764 calls the first half of 2021, pre-ambulance, the report says. That, extrapolated over the life of the apparatus, can be significant.
The department used CARES Act funding to pay for the ambulance, a heart monitor, and a CPR-performing Lucas device in 2020 for $193,887, and it was delivered in 2021. Last year, $48,205 in CARES Act funding was used to purchase a power load cot system and a stair chair for it, among other equipment, according to the report.
Out of the 2,147 total calls in 2021, 1,472 were of the EMS variety, a jump from 1,337 such calls the year prior. Officials say that medical calls didn’t increase because of the ambulance—the department would have attended with Engine 2 regardless.
The department’s average response time remained at 4.13 minutes; training hours increased from 2,434 hours to 2,740.7 hours; inspections increased from 183 to 193 and classes/tours; extinguisher training at businesses decreased from 15 to 14; and grants/fees collected increased from $1,200 to $1,403, the report notes.
