City of Mobile unveils new EMS vehicles

Jul 20th, 2015

MOBILE, Ala. - The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department today announced the purchase of five new sport utility vehicles that will improve public safety and reduce emergency response times across the City of Mobile.

The five new SUVs will be used to respond to medical emergencies in lieu of fire engines, improving efficiency across the MFRD fleet.

"Based on a careful analysis of best practices, we acquired these vehicles to maximize the efficiency of our operation in a cost effective manner," said Mayor Stimpson. "The faster our fire and rescue professionals can respond to an accident, the more lives we can save in the City of Mobile."

In the past, MFRD dispatched fire engines to respond to medical emergencies, because the response infrastructure was already in place. However, running fire engines is expensive due to significant repair and maintenance costs. They are also difficult to maneuver in high trafficked areas causing a delayed response time.

The new EMS trucks are specifically designed for heavy duty use. These particular units comprise more than 50 percent of emergency response vehicles within the United States.

Once MFRD deploys the trucks, they will carefully track the response time and clinical performance.

All of Mobile's fire companies have trained EMT firefighters and all of the equipment necessary to provide patient assessment, airway control, hemorrhage control and defibrillation.