CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston firefighters have taken on many different roles over the years.
Cpt. Mark Strickland, with the Charleston Fire Department, referred to is as “all hazards department.”
“We’re called for everything. We’re in charged of hazardous materials response, diver on the water rescue team, swift water training for flood rescue and swift water rescue, collapse rescue, urban search and rescue, trench, construction. We have many different hats,” Strickland said on last week’s “580 Live” heard on 580-WCHS.
Many firefighters on the job are now also serve as paramedics, Strickland said.
“Health care is really one of the main focuses of our day. On top of that, there is still the response to fires,” he said. “We’re able to show up to any situation, assess it and treat it appropriately.”
When Strickland joined the Charleston Fire Department in 2000, he said they didn’t have the life saving equipment they have now.
“We’re able to assess and treat people in the pre-hospital setting,” he said. “We have the same medical bags, the same blood pressure cups, IV needles, Narcan — the same equipment on fire engines as we do our ambulances.”
Stickland said merging the fire and ambulance services together has resulted in a quicker, more efficient response time to calls in the community.