In the past, if you had a medical emergency and dialed 911, the department would send an ambulance along with a fire engine truck no matter the level of emergency.  

Under the new system, which is called “Medical Priority Dispatch,” before paramedics rush an ambulance to an emergency call, the dispatch operator will ask a series of questions. The software will use those answers to determine what resources are needed. The department will provide a tiered response based on priority.  

Currently, within Dallas Fire-Rescue, more than 80 percent of calls are medical in nature. According to the department, less than 40 percent of those calls result in a visit to the hospital.

When the driver of the fire truck was approaching a hill and then cresting the hill, they saw at least one pedestrian in the road near the scene of the collision.  

Whitney Fire then says that the driver’s only option at that point to ensure the safety of the pedestrian and those near the scene of the crash. So the fire truck driver went off the road and it a tree head-on.

Conlen described how the aerial ladder truck was deployed to attack the roaring fire with two firefighters up in the bucket when the burning Remsen Street building collapsed and the flames and heat lashed the truck. The firefighters were safely brought down and the apparatus was eventually moved out of harm’s way.  

The aerial ladder truck is now at the city firehouse.  Representatives from fire apparatus firms will inspect the vehicle, the chief said.