SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. — Sierra Vista Fire & Medical Services is seeing record demand, with crews responding to more than 3,000 calls over the past three months.
On average, the department has handled about 1,000 calls a month, a level Fire Chief Bradley Dever says has become the new normal.
“The community needs us now more than ever. We're recognizing that,” Dever said.
About half of the calls during that three-month period were medical calls requiring patients to be transported to the hospital.
Dever said the department continues to provide a high level of service, but the increased demand is putting pressure on crews, particularly during the busiest parts of the day.
“I will defend our service model all day long. I think our community gets an exceptional service, but we are stretched right now, especially during peak hours during the day,” Dever said.
The city currently has three ambulances operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During a recent ride-along with Dever, all three were responding to calls at the same time.
“Medic 204 is heading right now to take another patient to the hospital as they were on a call. So, as you see, our three ambulances, they're constantly on the go,” Dever said.
In another instance, Dever said Medic 201 had just cleared the hospital when it was dispatched to another call before the crew could return to the station.
The high call volume can mean back-to-back responses for firefighters and paramedics.
Firefighter-paramedic Wyatt Gordon said that during one recent shift, he got just 30 minutes of sleep overnight.
“We ran from the time I got here till the time I went to sleep, and also the day before that, I also got another 20 minutes of sleep that night. So we're pretty busy out of this house,” Gordon said.
Station One on Fry Boulevard receives the most calls because of its central location in the city.
Although Sierra Vista's population has remained relatively stagnant, Dever said the area's aging population is contributing to the increase in calls.
“Data would support that our aging population is absolutely a big factor as to why our call volume is high,” Dever said. “You can look at call volume in general, but then when you look at the acuity as well, we have high acuity calls, meaning the patients that are calling 911 typically really need us.”
Despite the demanding workload, Gordon said responding to calls is why he became a firefighter-paramedic.
“I love running calls. I signed up for this job to run calls to help people,” Gordon said. “I just feel like the more calls you run, the better you are at your skills and the better care you're able to provide for your community.”
As the department works to keep up with the increased demand, it is looking to add personnel this fiscal year. The goal is to have a fourth ambulance operating around the clock instead of on a part-time basis.
“We recognize that we need to do a better job getting to our citizens on time, as soon as those emergencies kick out,” Dever said. “So having another ambulance will absolutely help us meet those needs.”
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
