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Tinian fire and EMS seek travel, training and vehicles; one ambulance limits response options
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Summary
Deputy Commissioner Raymond Dela Cruz told the committee his fire and EMS station needs travel and training funds to certify medics, equipment funding, and more vehicles; currently Tinian has one aging ambulance and a limited fleet for search-and-rescue and fire response.
Deputy Commissioner Raymond T. Dela Cruz told a budget hearing that the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services on Tinian needs travel and training funds to certify medics, replacement or retrofit vehicles, and other equipment to sustain emergency response.
"I have six personnel that need to go up to Saipan for evaluation, OJT, so they can be checked off, for the medic. So that way they can touch patients," Dela Cruz said, explaining a $30,000 travel request paired with $30,000 for personnel training.
The department reported one ambulance, a 2,000-gallon pumper and a 300-gallon mini pumper. Dela Cruz said the ambulance is nearly five years old and that, when the ambulance is unavailable or a second call occurs, the department’s pickup truck is used to transport patients.
Dela Cruz listed other needs including equipment ($75,000 request), vehicle repairs and maintenance (a line around $100,000) and freight and handling costs for medical supplies that must be shipped from Saipan. He said turnaround for shipments and out-of-pocket freight has been a recurring operational cost.
The department said it has roughly 19 firefighters, cross-trained across duties, and that it is seeking to fill two funded vacancies; recruitment notices have been open nearly a year with no applicants. Dela Cruz said turnout gear previously replaced with NMHC support has improved readiness, but gaps remain for backup gear and vehicle retrofits (estimated $5,000–$6,000 per truck for basic retrofits).
Committee members asked about contingency planning for storms and hydrant access. Dela Cruz said hydrant status and water availability are managed with the Central Utilities Company and that some hydrants are dry; the department must sometimes drive a quarter mile to refill fire trucks. Members urged contingency planning for an above-average typhoon season.
No formal votes or motions were taken; members asked finance and central agencies about grant cycles and whether equipment and ambulance requests could be submitted to NMHC or other grant sources. Dela Cruz thanked the committee and said the department will continue recruiting and coordinate with central offices on equipment requests.
