“Most importantly are the men and women who wear these uniforms,” said Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto. “It’s a different lifestyle than many of us are accustomed to. We get to get out in the morning and go to work. We get to come home in the afternoon and see our families and enjoy them. These men and women spend 24 [hours] on and 48 [hours] off. They spend every third night in a bed that’s not with their family, and their families know that at a moment’s notice, they may get a call that they’re not getting to come home; and sometimes that may be for good.”

Around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, authorities say an EMSA unit was driving with their lights on to a call when a truck failed to yield and turned in front of the ambulance near S.E. 44th and Bryant.  

The EMSA unit crashed into the truck, causing the ambulance to rollover on its side.

Police said the driver of the truck was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.

Over the past five years, EMS demand in the city has risen by 15 percent, with the department responding to 23,282 calls last year. Ambulance rides are also on the upswing; crews took people to emergency rooms on 66 percent of the calls last year.  

Chief David Hoback told the Roanoke City Council on Monday that as a consequence, the department has seen a decline in meeting performance targets, such as response times. Roanoke County and Salem also have sent crews into the city more often to assist with calls. Unnecessary use of emergency services is not unique to Roanoke. Agencies around the country are trying to find solutions to unnecessary ambulance rides that can contribute to wear and tear on vehicles and delay services to patients who really have emergencies. A hospital ride takes an ambulance out of service for about an hour in Roanoke.

Rice Lake is now able to respond to calls with up to six fire fighters at a time instead of just two.

The pump capacity of 1,500 gallons per minute is much higher than the previous amount of 1,000 gallons per minute.  

Rice Lake’s mayor says this truck was long overdue, but it took some time to get because of the financing. The truck cost $492,000 and all the money used to purchase the fire truck came through fundraising.