The wait is over ? Oxford’s Advance Life Support program is officially up and running.
‘Our first call was Wednesday (Dec. 13) morning,? said Fire Chief Jack LeRoy.
A cardiac patient on Oneta Drive brought the new program into action.
During the first week, the department handled a total of 17 calls requiring ALS services.
‘They’re doing well,? LeRoy said. ‘It’s a learning curve. We’re working out the bugs as we go.?
Oxford received its license from the state to operate an ALS program on Dec. 12.
Ten full-time firefighterss/paramedics and four paid-on-call members currently makeup the ALS staff.
Two more full-time employees and four additional paid-on-call members are currently in school to receive their paramedic licenses.
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19, both fire stations are now staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
During off-hours (5 p.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays) and on weekends, LeRoy said Station #1 on N. Washington St. will ‘usually? be staffed by two firefighter/parademics and Station #2 on W. Drahner Rd. by one firefighter/paramedic. Sometimes there will be two at both.
Handling mulitiple medical calls and hospital transports will not be a problem for the department.
‘We’ll have the capability of rolling three ambulances if needed,? LeRoy said.
Two ambulances will be housed at Station #1 and one ambulance at Station #2.
Should all three ambulances ever be busy at the same time, LeRoy said the department would receive mutual aid from Addison and Brandon’s fire departments, both of which have ALS.
A five-year, 1-mill property tax approved by township and village voters in May 2005 made possible the establishment and operation of Oxford’s ALS program.