Fire chief: EMS calls up about 12% as town-run ALS paramedic program expands regionally

The fire chief reported to the Board of Selectmen on Sept. 8 that the town’s Fire/EMS workload has shifted toward medical calls this year, with an approximately 12% increase in EMS responses through August and 422 patient transports so far. He credited training, mutual aid and the town's new ALS paramedic program with helping maintain response levels. The change matters because rising EMS volume affects staffing needs, fleet wear and mutual‑aid arrangements. The chief said the department now responds mostly to residential calls and averages about two transports per day. "We run historically, we run about 70% of our call volume is to a residential address," the chief said. The chief described training and equipment investments: hazardous‑materials certification paid by a federal grant, regular incident management and EMS simulation training, neonatal resuscitation and advanced cardiac life support scenarios, and annual technical‑rescue refreshers. He said average response time from apparatus departure to arrival is about four‑and‑a‑half to five minutes. On fleet issues, the chief said Engine 1 is on order through a grant and the new ladder truck (Truck 3) is operating normally. Engine 8—a 2012 apparatus used as a backup—has experienced repeated electrical and mechanical problems and has required roughly $20,000 in unplanned repairs this year. The chief said selling that apparatus is complicated by state rules that require sale proceeds to be returned to taxpayers unless reauthorized by voters. The chief also reported on a recent ambulance crash: the vehicle was not totaled and the town was not at fault. "It's not totaled. And, hopefully, we should have it back here, fairly soon," he said, and added the department relied on mutual‑aid ambulances while repairs progress. On regional emergency care, the chief reviewed the town’s ALS paramedic program, which began in March and places a paramedic resource in Brentwood that supports 18 towns and about 100,000 people. He said the program has been closely watched by the state office of EMS and other officials and has responded to hundreds of calls (462 calls for the program during its operational hours through August for the local unit; Brentwood’s unit had over 1,100 calls). The chief said philanthropic donors are helping close funding gaps so the program imposes no tax impact on Plaistow. The chief highlighted advanced prehospital procedures performed by the town’s paramedics, noting the team had performed rapid‑sequence intubation and chemical paralysis when clinically required. "Our paramedics have already done that 16 times since March," he said, describing the skill as important for critically ill patients. Selectmen asked about hospital destination decisions, and the chief explained that transport choices depend on the patient's clinical needs and the receiving facility's capacity and capabilities; he named Lawrence General as a frequent destination for cardiac patients. He also thanked firefighters, EMS personnel and the junior firefighter program for recruitment and training successes. No formal board action was taken; the chief said he will return for budget season and that mutual‑aid arrangements have maintained coverage while ambulances are repaired.