Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ems And Response Times topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Asheville Fire Department to expand advanced prehospital care as medical calls rise
Summary
Fire Chief Mike Case told the Public Safety Committee Sept. 25 that medical responses make up about 60 percent of AFD calls and the department is training firefighters to Advanced EMT level to place that skillset on every fire truck; the program requires 132 Advanced EMTs and is underway but behind the original schedule.
Asheville Fire Chief Mike Case told the Public Safety Committee on Sept. 25 that medical responses are the department—s largest call type and that AFD is moving to increase the level of prehospital care provided by firefighters by training personnel as Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMTs).
"We make more medical runs than anything else in our community," Case said. He told the committee that from January through June 2025 AFD recorded 11,373 calls for service, and that roughly 60% of calls were medical in nature while about 15% were fire-related responses.
The chief said the department—s plan is to staff an advanced-level clinician on each fire truck citywide. To sustain 24/7 coverage on every apparatus, Case said AFD needs 132 trained Advanced EMTs; the department currently has 53 and has an AEMT class in progress that will expand coverage into additional stations by year-end. "We're building the infrastructure internally to train us up to that number," he said.
Case described capabilities that Advanced EMTs add over the current basic-level EMTs: vascular access including IV and intraosseous lines; chest decompression for traumatic injuries; advanced cardiac medications such as IV epinephrine; and a broader range of respiratory medicines. He said early administration of those interventions is associated with improved patient outcomes.
Maps and response-time data presented to the committee showed the Central Business District as the highest call volume area, with notable concentrations of medical runs in West Asheville and the far south. Case noted that some outlying areas, such as the city—s airport and the Biltmore Estate, show longer travel times to city fire stations; AFD relies on mutual-aid agreements with neighboring departments in those zones.
Case said the Advanced EMT rollout was delayed about six months by the department—s concurrent forced-shift implementation and the need to train additional personnel for that staffing model. The updated goal, he said, is to complete the citywide AEMT staffing by the end of the next calendar year.
There was no motion or formal vote on funding at the committee meeting; Case said the work aligns with previously approved council priorities and staffing actions.
Ending: Committee members endorsed the direction and asked staff to return with progress updates on AEMT class completions and station-by-station coverage changes.
