Fort Worth rolls out first ambulance with fire logo in transition from MedStar
The first ambulance with a Fort Worth Fire EMS logo hit the streets this week as part of the city’s transition from MedStar.
A second ambulance with the logo will roll out the week of April 13, according to Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek.
MedStar has been the sole ambulance provider for Fort Worth and the surrounding area since 1986. The new EMS model will bring MedStar employees on board to serve as paramedics and emergency medical technicians on ambulances run by the Fort Worth Fire Department.
The Fort Worth City Council voted last May to approve the transition. It’s scheduled to be completed by July 1.
What changes can residents expect?
The Fire Department is working to make the transition as seamless as possible. When someone calls 911, an ambulance is going to show up just like always, Trojacek said.
“It’s a well-oiled machine,” he said. “We’re trying to take what (MedStar) built over the last couple of decades and make it better.”
MedStar currently operates only advanced life support ambulances, according to the agency’s website. The Fire Department will switch to a tiered system that includes both advanced life support and basic life support ambulances.
BLS ambulances are staffed by EMTs. ALS ambulances have at least one paramedic on board, who is trained to provide a higher level of care.
Trojacek said the tiered system will get more ambulances on the street and ensure greater flexibility in moving them to places of need.
Fort Worth is also working toward streamlining its 911 service, with the goal of faster dispatch times, he said.
MedStar’s basic StarSaver Membership program will carry over to the Fire Department-based EMS system, according to Trojacek.
What cities are in ambulance service area?
MedStar’s service area has traditionally covered Fort Worth and 13 member cities, including Blue Mound, Edgecliff Village, Forest Hill, Haltom City, Haslet, Lakeside, Lake Worth Village, River Oaks, Saginaw, Sansom Park, Westover Hills, Westworth Village and White Settlement.
The Fort Worth Fire Department will take over ambulance service for the same cities staring July 1. Richland Hills will be part of the new service area, according to Trojacek.
Who is coming on board?
All EMTs, paramedics and dispatchers currently employed by MedStar will move over to the Fort Worth Fire Department to serve in the new EMS system.
The same first responders will be serving residents after July 1, Trojacek said. They will just be climbing out of ambulances with a different logo.
According to Trojacek, the city gave job offers to all MedStar employees and got a 100% response back. Around 450 paramedics and EMTs, 44 dispatchers and more than 20 general employees will be part of the transition.
The handful of employees whose positions didn’t carry over were picked up by the city and put in roles comparable to what they had at MedStar.
“These folks are excited to come on board,” Trojacek said.
