SMYRNA, Tenn. (WSMV) – Smyrna Fire Chief Brian Goss told the Town Council on Tuesday that the department has seen an approximately 15% reduction in response times as it uses smaller medical squad vehicles to answer calls.
Goss said the smaller vehicles are more agile than full-size fire apparatus. Medical calls account for 71% of the department’s total call volume, he said.
Medical calls and fire vehicle use
Goss told council members that two medical squad units are handling 65% of medical calls townwide. He also said the department has reduced responses by full-size fire apparatus by 40% compared with its previous practice.
Operating costs and next steps
Goss said the department calculated operating costs over the past year at approximately $12 per mile for full-size apparatus and 15 cents per mile for medical squads. Those figures do not include the cost of purchasing the vehicles, he said…