Trending Topics

Calif. FD places ALS squad in high call volume area

The Kern County Fire Department designed Medic Squad 42 for rapid use and resupply

The Bakersfield Californian

KERN COUNTY, Calif. — The new Medic Squad 42 apparatus was put into service Wednesday, replacing a temporary vehicle to serve an area of east Bakersfield that gets more than 5,000 emergency calls annually, according to the Kern County Fire Department.

Medic Squad 42, which began operating Jan. 12, is the third KCFD unit of its kind. It is assigned to Station 42.

It is staffed by a firefighter paramedic and a fire captain to provide 24-hour Advanced Life Support coverage, “enhancing the department’s ability to deliver critical pre-hospital care while ensuring surrounding stations remain available for additional emergencies,” KCFD said in a news release.

Measure K funds have allowed the department to increase ALS staffing with 13 additional paramedics in unincorporated areas of the county.

© 2025 The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Visit www.bakersfield.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
A gas-related explosion and fire tore through Bristol Health & Rehab Center, collapsing part of the building and killing at least two people
A wrongful death lawsuit claims Hayward police and Falck paramedics repeatedly failed during the restraint and chemical sedation of a suspect, intensifying scrutiny of use of midazolam
Facing the first failed EMS levy in city history, the Clarkston City Council voted unanimously to use reserves to maintain emergency medical services for nine months
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has selected retired FDNY Emergency Services Chief Lillian Bonsignore, a 31-year department veteran and former chief of EMS operations, to lead the fire department