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City Creates New Emergency Medical Services Dept.

"The new Emergency Medical Service Department will report directly to the City Manager, putting an increased focus on public safety and the health and welfare of the community," said the release from Beaumont, Texas.

Exchange Anniversary Of 911
In this March 2018 photo an employee works at a dispatch center in Terre Haute, Ind. Whether car wreck, intruder, medical problem or some other emergency, 911 dispatchers are trained to stay calm and get the information they need and quickly send help. (Austen Leake/The Tribune-Star via AP)
Austen Leake/AP
(TNS) - The City of Beaumont has established a new Emergency Medical Service Department.

The new department stands alone and will help to "better serve the citizens," according to a city of Beaumont news release.

"The new Emergency Medical Service Department will report directly to the City Manager, putting an increased focus on public safety and the health and welfare of the community," the release states.

The department is licensed to have nine ambulances, the current capacity is seven.

When the department is fully staffed it will have roughly 80 full-time employees. Currently, applications for all positions are being accepted and can be found at Governmentjobs.com/careers/Beaumont.

With hopes to be operational by spring, the actual opening date is contingent on how many qualified applications are received, according to the release.

"We are continually looking for ways to improve how we serve the community, and the new Emergency Medical Services Department will be able to offer a greater range of care and well-being for the citizens of Beaumont," City Manager Kenneth Williams said in the release.

The release states that the Beaumont Fire Rescue and the Emergency Medical Service Department are working together on new initiatives to enhance services, such as the creation of a new Mobile Integrated Healthcare Program.

The program will expand the level of care that Emergency Medical Services providers can offer. It will also provide "individualized non-emergency medical assessments and preventive healthcare education without the need for costly and potentially unnecessary transportation or hospital visits," according to the news release.

The release says that innovative programs such as the Mobile Integrates Healthcare Program are being adopted by "leading cities" across the world and "aim to bridge the gap between providers and patients through a community health model."

"These screenings have the ability to provide an additional level of care for citizens while better allocating internal resources," Emergency Medical Services Manager Max Nguyen. "They conserve valuable hospital and ambulance space while connecting individuals to the appropriate social services. It's a program we can't wait to bring to Beaumont and feel is very much needed due to the daily volume and types of 9-1-1 calls we receive."

In addition, Beaumont Fire Rescue plans to launch a fire cadet program for individuals aged 18 to 35 in the coming year. The recruits will have access to hands-on training and experience before they are sworn in. The program will also provide the ability for current single-certified firefighters with advanced EMT paramedic qualifications to become dual-certified, the release states.

"We are excited about the ability to reach a new group of young adults and want to show them how rewarding a career as a first responder can be while bolstering our recruiting pipeline. Training more firefighters only benefits the community," Fire Chief Earl White said.

©2022 the Beaumont Enterprise (Beaumont, Texas). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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