Calif. FD places ALS squad in high call volume area

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

Hospital

Ala. hospital EMS seeks changes to city’s ambulance ordinance

Huntsville Hospital officials want Decatur to align staffing, mileage and response-time rules with practices already used in other counties

October 23, 2026 07:51 AM

EMS1 Grants

Pa. lawmaker proposes sustainability fund to help struggling volunteer EMS, fire departments

Rep. Brenda Pugh’s Bill 2848 would provide grants of up to $25,000 every three years to small fire companies and incentivize voluntary consolidation, building on her earlier bill that offered a $6,000 tax credit for firefighters and EMS personnel

October 23, 2026 08:09 AM

Recruitment & Retention

Nev. EMS recruits Australian paramedics to ease Reno-area staffing shortage

Partnering with International Medic Solutions, REMSA Health is bringing trained medics from Australia into its northern Nevada workforce as about 60% of U.S. EMS agencies face staffing shortages

October 23, 2026 10:31 AM

 · 

Bill Carey

Search and Rescue

Colo. county rescuers answer 3 calls in 14 hours as first snow hits hunters

First-season snow and plunging temperatures prompted three separate backcountry rescue missions near Yampa and Hayden, including a hypothermic hunter hauled 1,500 feet uphill through snow

October 23, 2026 12:01 PM