ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – On April 18, 2016, Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) expanded its level of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to visitors and the citizens of Alachua County with the addition of a new ambulance and the relocation of a second.
The Critical Care 3 unit was added to the department’s Peak Load Division, which operates on a 40-hour schedule and supplements service delivery during the busiest times of day. Two other units were added to the fleet earlier this year.
“The Peak Load units help to supplement the services provided by our 24-hour trucks, and have a primary mission of fulfilling both local and long-distance transfer requests from our community health partners,” said EMS Assistant Chief Jeff Taylor. “The ambulances will assist us in meeting our top priority, which is providing high-quality emergency services.”
Placing this third Critical Care Rescue unit into service allowed the Fire Rescue staff to relocate the former Rescue 2 unit from southwest Gainesville to Station 21 in the City of Alachua. Rescue 21 (a 24-hour ambulance) was moved to the Alachua fire station to help reduce rescue response times in the northwest sections of the County. The new ambulance is the first of a new fleet of gasoline-powered ambulances ordered by the department. Manufactured by Horton Emergency Vehicles in Columbus, Ohio, the new trucks feature a smaller profile and represent a significant cost saving for the department. An additional four Horton units were ordered and will enter the fleet in the coming months.
For more information, contact Alachua County Fire Rescue Chief Bill Northcutt at 352-384-3101 or wnorthcutt@alachuacounty.us.