BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (WCAX) – The new in-house ambulance service at the Brattleboro Fire Department is in its infancy. However, the new superintendent to lead the service is now on the job.
William Fritz has been a paramedic for 24 years, mostly recently in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is now tasked with running Brattleboro Fire’s ambulance service. For nearly six decades, the town contracted with Rescue Inc. to provide that coverage. After being unable to come to an agreement on a new contract, Brattleboro decided to build its own ambulance service.
“Now our department will really be an all hazards department. Whether it’s fire, whether it’s EMS or rescue, we will be there for our citizens,” said Fritz.
Fritz says Brattleboro has many big city problems despite being a relatively small town, like homelessness and addiction. He says along with responding to emergencies, he’ll also be focused on outreach.
“Public education and events and working together with our community partners because it is a huge challenge and then it also creates a large burden on our EMS system,” said Fritz.
Of the 4,200 calls the fire department responded to last year, roughly 73% were for medical emergencies, and Fire Chief Leonard Howard says that number is growing. “Now we are going to ALL EMS calls in the town of Brattleboro, which increased our call volume 58%,” said Howard.
$1.3 million in ARPA funds are helping to buy the equipment needed to start the service, including 3 ambulances. More firefighters are also being hired, and Chief Howard says the community will continue to be covered in an emergency. “We’ve been doing EMS first response for over 23 years, have the staff trained and look forward to serving our public,” said Howard.
“We want to do the best for our providers and we want to do the best for our citizens, and and I think we can find some great opportunities to work together,” said Fritz.
In addition to the new superintendent, three additional paramedics have been brought on staff, and the hiring process is underway for three more.