10/22/2026
**Why Do Fire Departments Respond to Medical Emergencies?** 🚒🔥🚑🩺⚕️
It's a question we occasionally hear, and it's a good one!
When rural fire protection districts began forming throughout Oregon decades ago around the 1940's, their primary responsibility was providing fire protection to rural communities that often had limited or no organized coverage.
Over time, the role of the fire service expanded considerably.
Today, fire departments respond to much more than fires, including medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous materials incidents, wildfires, and specialized rescues.
In fact, approximately 70% of the emergency calls handled by Mt. Angel and Monitor Fire Districts involve emergency medical services.
**But why respond to medical calls when we already have ambulances?**
The answer comes down to providing timely emergency care.
Our firefighters are trained to begin emergency medical care, including CPR, defibrillation, and other lifesaving procedures within their certification levels.
Ambulance resources can also become stretched thin, particularly in rural areas where ambulances cover large geographic regions. When multiple emergencies occur at once, or when ambulances are transporting patients to hospitals, the closest available ambulance may be coming from farther away.
Local firefighters can begin providing care while waiting for an ambulance and assist ambulance crews when additional personnel are needed.
Fire departments and ambulance services work together as part of the emergency medical response system, each providing an important service.
**The role of your local fire department has changed considerably over the past 80 years.**
While fire protection remains a core responsibility, emergency medical response now represents the majority of our calls.
We appreciate the opportunity to explain the services your local fire districts provide and answer questions from the communities we serve.
