COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — For the first time, North Collier firefighters will not only respond to medical calls but also transport patients to the hospital, instead of waiting for EMS and other ambulance crews to arrive.
The North Collier Fire District recently unveiled its own fleet of ambulances, marking the start of a new role that will let them help patients in medical emergencies.
WATCH AS NORTH COLLIER FIRE ROLLS OUT THEIR NEW FLEET OF AMBULANCES:
“And it is a milestone; we’ll be the newest fire-based ALS transport service in Southwest Florida and the first one in Collier County,” said Jorge Aguilera, deputy chief with North Collier Fire.
North Collier Fire serves over 150,000 people. Aguilera explained that while firefighters have long provided advanced life support on fire engines, the new ambulances allow them to provide continuous care from the scene to the hospital.
“The reality — they’ve been providing advanced life support, except it’s been on an engine. Now they’re providing advanced life support in an ambulance. So now they get to see the full continuity of care from the beginning on scene all the way to the hospital,” he said.
The new ambulances come equipped with advanced life support tools to help firefighters better attend to patients when every second counts.
This initiative comes as Florida faces a shortage of Emergency Medical Services personnel, which has affected the availability and efficiency of emergency medical care across the state.
“This is care on scene, care en route, and care all the way to the hospital,” Aguilera added.
The fire district hopes this new service will eventually expand across Collier County and throughout Southwest Florida.
“It’s a rarity that in Southwest Florida there’s very few of us, but hopefully this will inspire the other departments to join us in this effort,” Aguilera said.
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