After we heard over 911 radio that a 44-year-old man was having breathing problems, paramedic/firefighter Neil Clasen said, “These are the scariest sorts of calls that we get, because we never know whether the patient is going to be dead and require us to try to resuscitate by the time we get there.”

Clasen’s partner on Clackamas Fire’s Paramedic 16 crew, Jeff Anderson, blared the sirens for traffic to make way as Anderson sped the truck down the hill along Molalla Avenue. American Medical Response ambulance crews (who say they typically station themselves at the Oregon City Shopping Center) were tied up on another call.

Due to the high need seen in the area, Clackamas Fire recently put a second medic unit into service modeled after a medic unit stationed at the Oak Grove fire station. Clackamas Fire crews usually are the first on scene to respond to 911 medical calls because of their strategically placed stations thoughout the district. Although fire crews have always been trained in first-responder medical care, they previously hadn’t been able to transport patients to the hospital.

“By sending us medic crews out on medical calls, it keeps the fire trucks available for fires and car wrecks, and AMR ambulances are already busy a lot of the time,” Anderson said.

The $255,000 truck is a 3,000 gallon pumper tanker.

It was paid for by an “Assistance to Firefighters” grant from FEMA.

The truck will replace an aging 1964 fire engine and will also keep the fire rates from going up.

The new fire engine was purchased from Deep South Fire Trucks in Seminary.

"We'll send out the alternate response vehicle when there -- when and only when -- there is another fire truck that's stationed nearby in quarters, in case there would be a fire emergency when this vehicle's out," explained Chief Mark Rohlfing.

Two stations are launching the pilot program: Station 39 at 8025 W. Bradley Road and Station 14 at 6074 S. 13th St.

"One of the reasons that we chose these two stations is that relative to other stations -- particularly stations in the central city -- you don't get as many fire calls here," Mayor Tom Barrett explained. 

In addition to hopefully extending the life of firefighting equipment, Rohlfing said the SUVs get better gas mileage than the large fire trucks.

Alderman Terry L. Witkowski, who represents the city's 13th district, said medical calls account for 85 percent of the calls the fire department receives.