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Big Changes Take Place To Ambulance, Medical Helicopter Response In Escambia, Alabama
September 2, 2021
Big changes took place Wednesday morning to ambulance and medical helicopter services in Escambia County, Alabama.
The Escambia County (AL) Health Care Authority (ECHCA) reached an agreement with MedStar to provide comprehensive 24/7 ground ambulance coverage for the greater Atmore market, replacing ASAP EMS.
Shortly before noon Wednesday, Atmore Fire Chief Ronald Peebles told NorthEscambia.com that the transition was smooth.
“They (MedStar) had three ambulances here, and they’ve already ran six or seven calls,” he said.
The MedStar ambulances are operating out of the former Atmore Fire Station 4 on Pensacola Avenue. The fire trucks and personnel have been moved back to the main Atmore fire station at city hall. Peebles said he’s confident the move will not have any impact of the quality of service provided by his department, even though that puts all of his fire trucks on one side of a town bisected by railroad tracks.
“The fire station (on Pensacola Avenue) was closed about three years after Hurricane Ivan, so we’ve done this before,” he said. “We will also have a truck staged probably at the airport. We have guys that live south of the tracks. We can page them out if we need to get that truck. And we can request mutual aid from Walnut Hill.”
One of the MedStar ambulances in Atmore was moved from its previous post at the Flomaton Fire Station. D.W. McMillan EMS has assumed responsibility for providing ground ambulance service in the greater Flomaton area.
ECHCA has also contracted with MedStar to provide medical helicopter service to all of Escambia County, Alabama. MedStar’s Air Care 2 helicopter is currently based at Atmore Community Hospital. Ambulances from Escambia County, Alabama, also respond to Florida under mutual aid agreements.
As NorthEscambia.com reported in July, MedStar’s Atmore helicopter will also respond to North Escambia in Florida under a new “first call agreement” between the operator of ShandsCair and Escambia County, Florida.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Comments
4 Responses to “Big Changes Take Place To Ambulance, Medical Helicopter Response In Escambia, Alabama”
I live on the side of the tracks With the ambulances but Without the fire trucks.
I would rather have fire trucks on my side. Ambulances on the other.
But both on each side would be better.
Anybody know whom we would speak to to address this?
How much is a ride to hospital and flight to hospital, just approx cost would be ok.???
This cannot be a good idea. A house is burning, a train stops across all the city crossings. You have to call someone that may be available or not to drive to the airport to get a truck and then go to a house on fire? I am all for getting good things for Atmore, but not at this cost. Need to take a really long look at the end results. Sounds like a big ole lawsuit waiting to happen,
Stupid idea if there’s a house fire on the south side of town and the trains coming through well we’re screwed. How can You take a city building and use it for a private ambulance service somebody didn’t think this through