This week, our firefighters practiced assisting ambulance crews. Our fire department is automatically dispatched to assist with certain medical emergencies such as a cardiac arrest or a person struck by a vehicle. The ambulance crew may request assistance from the fire department for other emergencies requiring additional personnel or "hands." The latter is done on a case-by-case basis. Some situations requiring additional personnel can include carrying medical equipment, lifting a patient, or needing to remove a patient from a cramped spot or from an upper floor of a house with very narrow stairwells.

The majority of our firefighters are also certified as Emergency Medical Technicians and Emergency Medical Responders. They will assist directly with patient care as needed

Thank you, Captain Ryan Haggarty of the Phoenixville Division of TowerDirect EMS for instructing our personnel. TowerDirect is the primary ambulance service for the Borough of Phoenixville. Tower maintains two Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICU) which are collocated with your Phoenixville Fire Department. They also maintain and operate the Chester County Mass Casualty Bus at our location. The Phoenixville Division of TowerDirect was the first ambulance service in Chester County to carry whole blood for pre-hospital blood administration, a life-saving intervention.