CHANDLER, AZ — Maricopa Ambulance started service under its new contract with the city of Chandler Friday, adding 10 new ambulances with advanced medical equipment to the city’s emergency response.
The goal of the addition is to cut down on response times from first responders as the city grows.
“We can definitely feel it – the volume [of calls] that we’re getting now,” said Chandler Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Keith Hargis. “It’s a lot of calls. It’s back-to-back calls for our firefighters and our drivers currently, so it’s really going to help.”
Chandler City Council approved the contract last year.
The vehicles have decals from both Maricopa Ambulance and Chandler Fire to showcase the partnership.
They are specially designed as all-hazard units, meaning each unit is equipped with firefighting gear and specialized equipment to respond to any type of emergency in the city, not exclusively medical.
The ambulances also have new automated CPR machines on board, which automatically give chest compressions while first responders work to get a patient to the hospital faster.
The devices optimize the pressure and speed of chest compression while freeing the hands of the EMT and paramedic for other medical care or moving the patient even in tight, constrained spaces.
Maricopa Ambulance is a private ambulance service with partnerships also in the cities of Scottsdale, Surprise, Glendale and Goodyear.
