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"The idea of running our own ambulance actually came from the men in the department and I pursued the plan," Chief Doug Kendrick said. "This new service would not have been possible if not for the dedication, care and concern these men feel for the community."
Years of service, number of units and number of
calls: In 1989, SFR became an ALS first responder and began
its relationship with BioCare Medical Control, becoming the first RFO
under its umbrella. At that time, the City of Sachse had
contracted with a private service for ambulance service, but the
volunteers with SFR felt obligated to respond and treat citizens until
the ambulance service arrived. In 2000, SFR became an EMS provider
and staffed an ambulance that was obtained through an agreement with the
Southeast Collin County Ambulance Coalition. The SFR ambulance
staff began as volunteers, but it quickly grew to include part-time
personnel who could serve during the day when the volunteers were not
available. In 2003, SFR withdrew from the coalition and purchased
its own ambulances - one in 2003 and one in 2004. In 2006,
SFR hired its first full-time firefighter/ When a patient is transported to the hospital in a City of Sachse ambulance, they will be transported to Baylor Garland unless otherwise requested. If the patient is conscious and able to request a different facility, we will accommodate the request to the best of our ability. Listed below are other area hospitals:
Current activities: In addition to pre-hospital care and transport, SFR focuses on area-wide EMS training and community-based programs. Training programs include a low-cost EMT-basic class for area departments that do not have the resources to send their members to other classes, monthly continuing education programs and in-house PEPP and ITLS certification courses. Currently, SFR is developing a program that will certify all City of Sachse employees in CPR and first aid, organizing first responder training for our CERT team and placing AEDs in all city buildings. They offer CPR classes to citizens who request them, have one car seat technician that schedules appointments for car seat checks and provide medical standby and public education at local festivals. Last year, Sachse Fire Rescue signed the ALS Bus MOA and deployed two paramedics and one EMT for hurricanes Gustav and Ike. This article was written by Lieutenant Robert Knappage, EMS Coordinator. The article was submitted to and published in the May/June 2009 issue of Texas EMS Magazine. Click here to view the article.
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