PETERSBURG, Va. — The Petersburg Fire Department made history Monday, swearing in 12 new EMS-only providers — a first for the department.
The new hires include four EMS captains, four ALS providers, and four BLS providers. The department now has a manned ambulance running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, along with a part-time unit.
"We're bringing on 12 additional EMS-only positions today, that will be four EMS captains and an additional four ALS and four BLS providers," Chief Wayne Hoover said.
The shift away from firefighters running ambulances or part-time medics comes as the city experiences a growing number of medical emergency calls.
"The city currently experiences somewhere around 11,000 EMS calls annually and we'll turn somewhere close to 7,000 fire calls," Hoover said.
Those numbers have strained an already tight system.
"We saw the need, that we need to hire EMS-only positions," Hoover said.
On their first day, the new providers ran a cone course to prepare for driving ambulances on emergency calls.
"We're out here doing a cone course to get our new providers released to drive," Captain Andrew Swann of the Petersburg EMS Division said.
Swann said the job demands a specific kind of person behind the wheel.
"It takes a calm, cool, collected person to be able to drive one of these to a scene," Swann said.
For people who live and work in Petersburg, the expansion means more dedicated emergency care when it matters most.
"I think it's great. I think it's going to really help out local businesses too, if anything is an issue, we know when we make that call, we're going to have someone dedicated to those services come out and help us," Sara Campbell, who works in Petersburg, said.
The milestone also includes another historic first for the department.
"For the first time ever, Petersburg Fire Department is going to have a 24-hour shift supervisor, in the street, that is paramedic trained, and will not only assist our units but will assist other units as needed," Hoover said.
Southside Virginia Emergency Crew, which has provided ambulance and emergency medical care to the city for decades, will continue to provide advanced life support services as well, with multiple ambulances every day.
As medical emergency calls continue to increase, a third Petersburg Fire ambulance could be added next year. A new fire station expected to open in about three years could also house an additional ambulance.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
