EMS HISTORY
On October 1st
1966, LFD began to provide county wide ambulance services.
LFD was one of the first departments
in Texas to provide this service. Thirty-eight firefighters
were employed at this time. In 1979 EMS went from Red Cross
and first aid training to State Certified EMTs. LFD upgraded
its EMS service in 1983 by selecting several firefighters to
become EMT- Paramedics. This improvement was a major
advancement for LFD. The daily departmental goal is now to
provide an EMT-P on all ambulances.
SERVICES
Lufkin Fire Department
provides Emergency Medical Services for the City of Lufkin
and Angelina County, and mutual aid for surrounding
counties. In addition to EMS and mutual aid, LFD also
provides community awareness to local schools and day care
centers in the form of CPR and First Aid classes.
Lufkin currently staffs
four ambulances 24 hours a day with access to back-up units
as needed. All ambulances are Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICU)
with Advanced Life Support (ALS) capabilities. Each unit is
staffed with EMT-Paramedics at all times. We have a
progressive protocol including 12 lead ECG with wireless
transmission, End Tital CO2, CO monitoring, and numerous
other procedures through written protocol via our Medical
Director.
In 1988, Rescue 1 was
placed in service, which responds to all emergency calls
both EMS and Fire related within five miles of the city
limits. It carries rescue and EMS equipment and provides
additional manpower without tying the personnel to an
ambulance, and in some cases reduces response time to
emergency calls.
PERSONNEL
Lufkin Fire Department has
a total of 80 employees. Personnel are required to become
certified Paramedics to retain employment. In addition to EMT certifications, some employees
are also certified by Texas Department of Health (TDH) as
EMS Instructors and Skills Examiners. Other certifications
include Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS), Pediatric Advanced
Life Support (PALS), and others. All Paramedics are
certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).
CALL VOLUME
The Fire Department
responds to approximately 9,000 calls annually. |
