Roy City Fire and Rescue, Station 31, upgrades ambulances with latest technology
LOCAL NEWS
UPDATED: FEBRUARY 26, 2023 AT 3:09 PM
The exterior of the new ambulances at Roy City Fire and Rescue Station 31. (KSLTV)
ROY, Utah— Roy City Fire and Rescue, Station 31 replaced its aging fleet with two brand new ambulances. And on Saturday, KSL got a glimpse of the new ambulances.
The station went live last week and has already gone on call. They said this gives their firefighters and first responders a way to provide better patient care.
When asked if crews could tell the difference between these new ambulances, their answers were a resounding “yes.”
“Lots of power: It gets us where we need to go,” said Jake Rast, battalion commander.
Morgan Palmer has worked as a firefighter and advanced emergency medicine physician with Roy City Fire and Rescue for the past year and a half. She has noticed a big difference after working and driving the new ambulances.
“It’s bigger – roomier – allows us to prepare for those 911 calls faster,” Palmer said.
“Even though we are a fire department, most of what we do is medically relevant,” added Rast.
Last year, 6,078 calls were made, he said. About 90 percent of those were medical calls.
“I think we average about 21 calls a day, sometimes last year,” Rast said.
KSL watched this play out in real time when their station received a call.
“Everyone has a job,” Palmer said.
Jake Rast, Battalion Commander, shows the inside of the new ambulance. (KSLTV)
When asked about her favorite part of the new ambulances, her unanimous answer was spot on.
“The size of the compartments. It gives firefighters more space to work and better patient care,” said Rast.
In addition to more storage space… it means there is also more room on either side of the patient for caregiving.
“You can hang liquids on both of them. So if people need medication through IV lines, we can hang them up. These are newer. It also stabilizes the bag,” Palmer said.
They said it also offers a smoother ride.
“There are people who are moving to the left. There are people stopping. There are people who go to the right, so basically you must be NASCAR!” Palmer said.
The new colored light options are another telltale sign the ambulances are new. In this case, the blue light is known to be more reassuring for patients and everyone present.
“We all do our best. We are all trained. We all get exercised all the time. Every day is a training day for us,” said Rast.
All firefighters on the station wear many hats as they are all EMT-advanced. To help you, if you see an ambulance with their sirens on and their lights flashing, they’ll ask you to pull over to the right if you can safely.