KIMAtv.com
YAKIMA, Wash. — You might notice a change the next time you call 911 here in Yakima. Dispatchers are no longer automatically sending fire trucks on calls for medical emergencies. It’s part of a new program that started this week. Dispatchers will gauge the severity of a call and make the crucial decision on who needs to be sent.
It’s the Yakima Fire Department’s way of being more efficient with equipment and manpower. The deputy chief said trucks and firefighters need to be saved for critical emergencies.
“If we run those on every bloody nose or foot pain call that we have and I’m not trying to push fun of that, but we wear them out,” said Yakima Fire Deputy Chief Bob Stewart.
Full story: Yakima Fire no longer sending trucks to every EMS call