The Topeka Fire Department shared information Tuesday with the Topeka City Council about its plans to transition beginning next year from providing basic life support to providing advanced life support as firefighters respond to emergency medical calls.
The department can start that transformation without going outside its existing budget, said Richard Sigle, its emergency medical services chief. He noted that about 80 percent of the calls the fire department makes involve providing emergency medical services.
The department currently provides basic life support. That requires firefighters to complete emergency medical technician training, which generally involves 12 credit hours of education, Sigle said. All current Topeka firefighters are EMTs, he said.
Providing advanced life support requires completing paramedic training, which involves 68 credit hours of education, Sigle said.
“We have 12 paramedics on the department right now,” he said.
He said the department plans beginning next year to have a paramedic present for all shifts at two of its 18 companies.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)