One of the questions we are asked most often is, “Why do fire engines go to medical emergencies?” The answer is that both the fire department and the ambulance company are dispatched to all medical emergencies at the same time. Each agency is medically trained and both agencies work together. It is all part of what is referred to as the pre-hospital care system.

Time is one of the critical elements in the resolution of medical emergencies. When you or your family are hurt or injured, you want help to arrive quickly. More specifically, you want qualified and well-trained help to arrive quickly.

The way this system works is that firefighters everywhere are trained at the basic life-support level or higher so they can intercede in life-threatening situations. When they arrive, the firefighters begin providing medical care. When the ambulance arrives, its personnel become part of the team; they enhance the medical care and transport the patient to the hospital.

An important distinction to note here is that your Lompoc firefighters are trained beyond the basic life-support level. They have received additional medical certification that allows them to provide more advanced care. In fact, the Lompoc Fire Department is the only department in Santa Barbara County trained to provide these advanced skills.

Another reason that the fire engines go to medical emergencies is that they are manpower intensive. An ambulance carries two people, and the fire engines carry three.

Most medical incidents take four to five people to provide care for one patient. Even when the ambulance is transporting the patient, it is common for a firefighter to ride along in the ambulance to continue to provide the care on the way to the hospital. This is a good working relationship for both agencies.

More often than not, the firefighters arrive on the scene first because of their locations within the city, and you don't pay anything for their response. It makes good sense to send qualified available resources, who are already trained, to the medical emergencies.

Fire departments all over the United States have been responding to medical emergencies for more than 50 years now. There is nothing new about this process. However, I'm sure you don't care who gets there first - as long as we get there fast.

So pull to the right when you see the red lights coming and be assured we aren't just going out for pizza!

Battalion Chief Stan Hart is in charge of

operations at the Lompoc Fire Department.

He can be reached at s_hart@ci.lompoc.ca.us.

Feb. 19, 2007