PETERSBURG, Va. — As emergency medical calls continue to increase in Petersburg, the city's fire department is stepping up to assist the primary ambulance provider, bringing much-needed relief to an overwhelmed system.
Paramedics with Southside Virginia Emergency Crew, the city's primary medical provider for nearly 80 years, are facing a steadily increasing volume of emergency calls each year.
"On an average we run about 27 calls a day, which equals about 900 calls a month. This year, we're looking to be about 11,000 calls for service," said Jennifer Lewis of Southside Virginia Emergency Crew.
That call volume requires significant resources from the emergency crew.
"Our baseline is to have three units during the day. We drop to two at night. During peak call times, which is Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., we do our best to have an additional unit in service," Lewis said.
The high call volume creates a critical problem for emergency response in the city.
"Because call volume is so high on a daily basis, there are times that we are already committed to a patient and there is another call for service pending," Lewis said.
To address this challenge, Petersburg Fire Department is now getting back into providing emergency medical care and ambulances in the city.
"We have went from basically having none, to we're staffing two ambulances 95 percent of the time," said Chief Wayne Hoover of Petersburg Fire & EMS.
The fire department is making a significant commitment to emergency medical services.
"We try to staff two units every day for 24 hours," Hoover said.
This additional coverage has already made a substantial difference in reducing the need for outside agencies to assist in Petersburg.
"Last year, between March and May of 2024, we had over 40 mutual aid received incidents where we did not have a unit in service," Hoover said.
That number has now dropped to just three incidents.
Petersburg Fire has a grant application in process to potentially obtain a new ambulance to add to their fleet. The department is also working with firefighters to enhance their medical skills.
"Those that want to seek advanced life support certification, we're certainly supporting that as well," Hoover said.
For residents experiencing medical emergencies, the additional resources from both Petersburg Fire and the Emergency Crew provide a significant benefit.
"I think introducing more ambulances into the system, would be beneficial for everyday involved," Lewis said.
Petersburg Fire Chief Wayne Hoover says his department should know by July 1 if they will receive the grant for the new ambulance.
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