Fire Engines Photos

Interesting that the English language name is used, noteworthy because this concept of deploying volunteer firefighters to medical situations in remote country areas is a new idea borrowed from the UK. Although it varies by state, it has in the past been unusual for volunteer firefighters in Germany to be trained and equipped to respond to medical calls, although of course this is completely normal in towns with full time firefighters as well as with volunteers in both the USA and France, as well as many other places.

Added by Rob Johnson on 12 January 2023.

The VFD Team is very often combined with local Red-Cross, Malteser or Johanniter volunteers

Added by PETER JACQUES on 13 January 2023.

Some towns rely on one or more of these agencies completely too, although most with full time fire stations seem to have emergency ambulances and paramedic units too. When I was a student in Heidelberg, for example, in 1963 the city relied entirely on the DRK for EMS, although they had a full time fire station as well as a dozen volunteer fire companies, while similarly sized Muelheim-Ruhr fire service had a fleet of seven ambulances at their full time station.

In most American cities - including here in Chicago, the SOP is to dispatch a fire service ambulance or certified private ambulance to an EMS call, but to dispatch a pumper with a medically qualified crew as well if the dispatch system estimates that it will be on scene before the requested ambulance arrives.

Typically, the fire crew will then hand over the patient to the EMS personnel, or cancel them if the incident turns out to be minor.

Added by Rob Johnson on 13 January 2023.

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