San Marino Fire Department's fire engine is now a fully equipped paramedic engine. Engine 91 now carries all the paramedic supplies found in an ambulance including items like IV therapy supplies, pain management drugs, a cardiac monitor and cardiac drugs.
The new paramedic designation, which was received this week from the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency, enables the engine to respond to a call without an ambulance and treat a wider array of medical cases including asthma, a heart attack and broken bones.
San Marino Fire Chief Mario Rueda, who was very enthusiastic about Engine 91’s new paramedic capabilities, attributed the department’s successful transition to the “good hearts and good brains” of the department’s fire fighters.
“We’ve raised the bar on hiring,” said Chief Rueda, noting that all new hires must have paramedic and firefighter credentials.
SMFD’s firefighters each have 1,500 hours of paramedic training and receive an additional eight hours of continuing education every month from the UCLA Paramedic School.
Paramedic Coordinator and Firefighter/Paramedic Jeff Tsay said Engine 91’s added capability will be helpful in situations when an ambulance is out of the station and another call comes in, which was the case during the time of this interview.
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