Medic Unit Making a Difference
The newest unit has definitely made the biggest impact. Several citizens and visitors of the City of Gonzales have seen first hand the most progressive step taken by the Gonzales Fire Department since its professional inception in 2001. The ambulance, commissioned as Medic 18, has transported several persons in its first six months of operation. The purpose of the unit has been to supplement emergency medical services in Gonzales when the system is taxed out. It gives the EMT-Paramedics transport capability to go along with the advanced life support and treatment techniques they have been providing for nearly three years now. In times where transport is top priority, it allows Gonzales Medics to give that service to the suffering patient in a very expedient fashion. In response to the current system being taxed, procedures allow Medic 18 to transport a non-life-threat patient to a local hospital after the incident is ten minutes old. GFD procedures also give the responding paramedic some leeway. If the patient is deemed critical, or emergent then the transport decision can be made upon arrival at the scene, allowing for rapid transport with care delivered enroute to the hospital. The unit is staffed with at least one paramedic and one EMT-Basic around the clock for the best coverage possible. It is housed at Station 10 on Orice Roth, and runs every emergency in the city with an average arrival time of four minutes. Gonzales has transported approximately 60 patients since this unit has been put in service, providing a wonderful service and more importantly, providing our community with another means of timely emergency medical transport.