Trending Topics

Ill. FD takes over ambulance service for neighboring fire district

Beginning July 1, the Lexington Fire Protection District will become the primary ambulance provider for the Octavia Fire Protection District, covering four communities with BLS service

FireRescue1 EMS1 News - 2026-03-26T074728.326.jpg

A Lexington Fire Department ambulance.

Lexington Fire Department/Facebook

By Kaitlyn Klepec
The Pantagraph

LEXINGTON, Ill. — Starting July 1 , the Lexington Fire Protection District will be the primary ambulance provider for the Octavia Fire Protection District.

According to a news release, under the new agreement, Lexington Fire Protection District will provide basic life support ambulance services, staffed by licensed emergency medical technicians, for Octavia Fire Protection District. That covers Anchor, Cropsey, Colfax and Cooksville.

| RESOURCE: Total wellness readiness checklist for first responders

Lexington Fire said residents can expect to continue to receive 911 emergency medical response without disruption and coordinated mutual aid support with surrounding agencies.

The districts have worked collaboratively to plan for this transition to ensure ambulance service remains “efficient and community-focused.” Additional information regarding service operations, billing and coverage areas will be shared with residents prior to the July 1 start date, according to Lexington Fire.

“Our goal is to provide dependable, professional emergency medical services while strengthening regional cooperation,” said the Lexington Fire Department. “We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of patient care and response readiness for the community.”

Trending
HB 26-1238 covers ambulance and air ambulance services while clarifying that off-duty EMS providers are not required to respond
The Fort Worth Fire Department ambulance was stolen from Station 4 before turning up damaged on Interstate 35 in Austin
A medical helicopter was requested, but the patient was pronounced dead before the aircraft arrived
Town of Watertown Ambulance used the funding to purchase a new ambulance amid growing financial and staffing pressures on volunteer EMS

© 2026 The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.).
Visit www.pantagraph.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.