Trending Topics

Calif. FD places ALS squad in high call volume area

The Kern County Fire Department designed Medic Squad 42 for rapid use and resupply

The Bakersfield Californian

KERN COUNTY, Calif. — The new Medic Squad 42 apparatus was put into service Wednesday, replacing a temporary vehicle to serve an area of east Bakersfield that gets more than 5,000 emergency calls annually, according to the Kern County Fire Department.

Medic Squad 42, which began operating Jan. 12, is the third KCFD unit of its kind. It is assigned to Station 42.

It is staffed by a firefighter paramedic and a fire captain to provide 24-hour Advanced Life Support coverage, “enhancing the department’s ability to deliver critical pre-hospital care while ensuring surrounding stations remain available for additional emergencies,” KCFD said in a news release.

Measure K funds have allowed the department to increase ALS staffing with 13 additional paramedics in unincorporated areas of the county.

© 2025 The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Visit www.bakersfield.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Since adding a fourth ambulance in September, the Anderson Fire Department has reduced response times, balanced workloads and improved coverage as EMS calls continue to dominate run volume
Share your priorities, challenges and outlook to help shape the future of EMS
A former Baltimore County paramedic is facing criminal charges after investigators say he contaminated colleagues’ food and fire department property, prompting a months-long investigation and his arrest without bond
Flames tore through the Scranton Orthopedics part of Lehigh Valley Hospital in Dickson City, forcing the evacuation of patients and staff as firefighters rushed to extinguish the blaze