The Las Cruces Fire Department, which has been offering ground ambulance transportation on a limited basis since 2013 and responds to an ever-increasing volume of emergency calls, has begun a new tiered system that lets the severity of each call determine the resources the department sends in response.
“Las Cruces residents will continue to receive the same timely response to their emergency calls no matter what the call is for,” LCFD Chief Jason Smith said. “Fire crews will continue to respond to all calls as quickly as possible, but we will only dispatch ambulances if the severity of the call warrants it.”
LCFD responded to more than 24,000 emergency calls in 2023. Less than five percent of the calls were for fires; the others were for medical issues.
The department has 167 sworn firefighters – most are licensed paramedics/EMTs – with about 40 on-call at any given time, the chief said. LCFD has a paramedic on scene within eight minutes for more than 86 percent of the calls it receives, and its response time is even shorter for the arrival of a fire crew. All EMTs are trained to evaluate patients on scene and determine if transport to a local hospital is necessary.
“You will always get a fire apparatus in response to any call,” LCFD Battalion Chief Tibor Kocsis said. The tiered response system, he said, helps to insure that all necessary services are available for the most serious health emergencies.
“We will never drop the level of care,” LCFD Lt. Daniel Eckhart said.
LCFD operates from eight fire stations across the city. A ninth station will open on the East Mesa by the end of 2025. LCFD has eight fire engines, two fire trucks and three rescue units. American Medical Response ambulance service also contracts with the City of Las Cruces to provide medical transport and operates seven ambulances throughout Doña Ana County.
All 911 calls made in the county are received by Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority which then routes the calls to the appropriate agency, including LCFD. MVRDA has installed new software that allows its 911 operators to better classify the types and severity of the calls received, Smith said.
LCFD also works closely with the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and Dona Ana County Fire Rescue to provide the best emergency service possible, the chief said. For example, the recent incident in which a vehicle crashed into a Las Cruces thrift store required nine transport vehicles to get the injured to emergency care and involved LCFD, LCPD, DASO and county fire rescue personnel.
LCFD dispatches a fire engine and crew to each call – averaging nearly 70 calls a day citywide – and also immediately sends an ambulance on calls that involve heart attacks, strokes, gunshot wounds, motor vehicle accidents and other serious and potentially serious health issues. For calls of lesser severity, an LCFD or AMR ambulance is dispatched when the next one is available, Smith said.
LCFD will send its ambulances in response to the most serious calls, calling in AMR to provide transport for calls of lesser severity, Kocsis said. However, being transported in an LCFD ambulance does not mean a patient will be treated more quickly at the hospital than if he or she was transported by AMR, Eckhart said.
Like AMR, LCFD bills patients for the transport services it provides.
Since 2015, Las Cruces has received the highest possible national Insurance Services Office Public Protection Classification rating, placing LCFD in the top 10 percent of more the more than 30,000 fire departments across the country reviewed by ISO.
“With the highest number of advanced providers possible, rigorous training, our partnerships with other first responders and the incredible support we receive from the community we serve, LCFD will continue to provide the best and fastest service possible on every call,” Smith said.
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