Emergency Medical Services

The Victoria Fire Department continues to provide excellent emergency medical services. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division staffs 6 MICU (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) level ambulances on a daily basis. We can staff a 7th and 8th ambulance through flex staffing if the calls for service exceed the availability of the 6 other ambulances.

The Victoria Fire Department has transitioned over the past couple of years to 14 foot Frazer Ambulances with Diesel Chassis. The units have also been customized to the department requirements to increase the efficiency of all available space. The EMS Division of the organization is managed by Battalion Chief - Tim Hunter.

Certification

At a minimum, our employees are certified by the Texas Department of State Health Services as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) - Basic. About half of the 126 uniformed employees have achieved a higher level of care, either as an EMT - Intermediate, EMT - Paramedic, or Licensed Paramedic. Several of our members have achieved the Critical Care Paramedic certification.

Director

The Victoria Fire Department Emergency Medical Services operate under the auspices of our Medical Director - Dr. John McNeill. He has approved a set of protocols (standing orders) for our medical technicians to follow. While these work for most situations we respond to there are times that the protocols do not cover a particular incident. In that case we can contact On-Line Medical Control and receive advice and/or orders from the emergency room physician.

Response Rate

For 2020, the number of EMS calls for service was 8414 or 79% of total calls 11,641. Our medical crews respond to everything from the most minor emergency to the most life-threatening events. Since they are also firefighters they respond to fire-related calls and act as medical support or as firefighters-depending on the needs of that particular call.

Our team takes great pride in providing the absolute best medical care to our citizens and visitors. We hope that you never have the need for our services but be assured that if you do we are ready to respond with highly trained and caring staff. We will continue to work to be the Leader in Emergency Service Excellence!