ITS CITIZENS, SPENDING MILLIONS ON NEW AMBULANCES ACROSS THE COUNTY. 米兰体育 13 ZOE BLAIR GOT TO SEE SOME OF THOSE NEW AMBULANCES TODAY AND LEARN HOW THEY鈥橰E SAVING LIVES ACROSS THE COUNTY. WHEN YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. YOU WANT AN AMBULANCE TO GET THERE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, BUT THAT ISN鈥橳 ALWAYS THE CASE, ESPECIALLY WHEN LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS HAVE TO RELY ON A THIRD PARTY AMBULANCE SERVICE. WHERE WE WERE HAVING 20 TO 30 MINUTE, SOMETIMES AS LONG AS AN HOUR RESPONSE TIME FROM OUR THIRD PARTY AMBULANCE. NOW, THANKS TO A $3.1 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM THE SHELBY COUNTY COMMISSION, THE PELHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT DOESN鈥橳 HAVE TO RELY ON A THIRD PARTY, AND THEY CAN GET ON THE SCENE FASTER. NOW WE鈥橰E PUTTING AN AMBULANCE ON THE SCENE AN AVERAGE OF SIX MINUTES AFTER THE CALL COMES OUT. WE鈥橰E RUNNING, YOU KNOW, WE鈥橰E HAVING THEM ON THE SCENE. WITHIN TEN MINUTES 90% OF THE TIME. PELHAM ISN鈥橳 THE ONLY ONE LOADING UP IN A NEW UNIT. THE HOOVER AND ALABASTER FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE ALSO GETTING NEW AMBULANCES, THANKS TO THE COUNTY COMMISSION鈥橲 INVESTMENT. HOOVER FIRE CHIEF CLAY BENTLEY SAYS THIS NEW UNIT WILL HELP THEM WORK WITH OTHER FIRE DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE AREA. A LOT OF TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY, OUR TRUCKS ARE EXTREMELY BUSY AND ALL OUR UNITS ARE OUT OF SERVICE AND WE HAVE TO LEAN ON OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO HELP US, JUST AS THEY WOULD LEAN ON US TO HELP THEM. AND SO IT鈥橲 IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE GOOD EQUIPMENT, MODERN EQUIPMENT THAT THAT鈥橲 GOING TO HOLD UP AND DO A GOOD JOB. BOTH CHIEFS SAY THESE NEW AMBULANCES ARE HELPING THEM SAVE MORE LIVES FASTER. CRITICAL CARE GETTING PEOPLE TO EMERGENCY ROOMS AND THE CORRECT EMERGENCY ROOM FOR THEIR TYPE OF EMERGENCY IS IMPORTANT. AND AND HAVING UNITS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO GET THOSE PEOPLE THERE QUICKLY IS IMPORTANT. THE MORE UNITS WE HAVE, THE BETTER, THE BETTER ABILITY WE HAVE TO GET PATIENTS TO HOSPITALS. PELHAM AND ALABASTER HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THEIR NEW AMBULANCES. HOOVER鈥橲 HAS BEEN ORDERED AND SHOULD BE IN USE IN EARLY 2026. IN SHELBY COUNTY, ZOE BLAIR 米兰体育 13. ONE NEW AMBULANCE COSTS UPWARDS OF $350,000. THE COUNTY PURCHASING THESE UNITS ALLOWS THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO INVEST MORE IN OTHER R
New ambulances drastically reducing response times in Shelby County
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Updated: 8:21 AM CDT May 16, 2025
In September 2024, the Shelby County Commission approved $3.1 million for new ambulances throughout the county. Two cities have received those ambulances and say the new units are saving lives."We were having 20- to 30-minute, sometimes as long as an hour, response times from our third-party ambulance," Pelham Fire Chief Mike Reid said. "Now, we're putting an ambulance on the scene an average of six minutes after the call comes out. We're having them on the scene within 10 minutes 90 percent of the time."On Jan. 1, 2025, both Pelham and Alabaster started offering in-house emergency transport after each received three new ambulances. Reid said this is helping them lower response times and save more lives."We talk about the golden hour," he said. "We want that patient to be, from the time they call 911, we want them to be crossing the threshold of a hospital within that hour because they're truly receiving that definitive care, even though we're doing a tremendous amount for them out in the field. And, we're increasing what we do all the time. You know, that's the goal."Hoover will also be getting a new ambulance. Fire Chief Clay Bentley said by expanding the number of units in the county, they're able to work better with other fire departments throughout the area."A lot of times throughout the day, our trucks are extremely busy and all our units are out of service, and we have to lean on other departments to help us, just as they lean on us to help them," Bentley said. "It's important for us to have good equipment, modern equipment, that's going to hold up and do a good job."Bentley also believes it helps them get patients the proper treatment they need."Critical care, getting people to emergency rooms and the correct emergency room for their type of emergency is important," he said. "Having units that are available to get people there quickly is important. The more units we have, the better ability we have to get patients to hospitals."Pelham and Alabaster have already received their new units. Hoover's ambulance has been ordered and should be here in early 2026.>> 米兰体育 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free
PELHAM, Ala. — In September 2024, the Shelby County Commission approved $3.1 million for new ambulances throughout the county. Two cities have received those ambulances and say the new units are saving lives.
"We were having 20- to 30-minute, sometimes as long as an hour, response times from our third-party ambulance," Pelham Fire Chief Mike Reid said. "Now, we're putting an ambulance on the scene an average of six minutes after the call comes out. We're having them on the scene within 10 minutes 90 percent of the time."
On Jan. 1, 2025, both Pelham and Alabaster started offering in-house emergency transport after each received three new ambulances. Reid said this is helping them lower response times and save more lives.
"We talk about the golden hour," he said. "We want that patient to be, from the time they call 911, we want them to be crossing the threshold of a hospital within that hour because they're truly receiving that definitive care, even though we're doing a tremendous amount for them out in the field. And, we're increasing what we do all the time. You know, that's the goal."
Hoover will also be getting a new ambulance. Fire Chief Clay Bentley said by expanding the number of units in the county, they're able to work better with other fire departments throughout the area.
"A lot of times throughout the day, our trucks are extremely busy and all our units are out of service, and we have to lean on other departments to help us, just as they lean on us to help them," Bentley said. "It's important for us to have good equipment, modern equipment, that's going to hold up and do a good job."
Bentley also believes it helps them get patients the proper treatment they need.
"Critical care, getting people to emergency rooms and the correct emergency room for their type of emergency is important," he said. "Having units that are available to get people there quickly is important. The more units we have, the better ability we have to get patients to hospitals."
Pelham and Alabaster have already received their new units. Hoover's ambulance has been ordered and should be here in early 2026.
>> 米兰体育 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free
