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Roughly 80% of our calls are for medical emergencies, so all of our members are held to high standards of emergency medical care. Each new member must complete a minimum of 100 hours of medical training; most of our members have much more training than this minimum. Continuing education and recertification is required for all members.
When called to a medical emergency, our members provide immediate care and evaluate the patient's condition. There is no charge for most in-home services. A few in-home procedures do require a fee; click here for details.
When patients need immediate hospital care, we will usually transport them to their preferred hospital. In special situations, we will bring patients to the hospital that can provide the best care for their condition.
If we find a patient in extremely critical condition, we will quickly transfer that patient to a helicopter ambulance. This provides a higher level of immediate emergency care, and drastically shortens the trip to the hospital.
Black Forest Fire/Rescue is one of the only fire departments in El Paso County that is equipped, trained, and licensed to transport patients to hospitals.
We maintain two ambulances equipped for Advanced Life Support (ALS). This does not guarantee that a Black Forest ambulance will always respond when you call. If we are committed to another emergency, we receive backup help from American Medical Response (AMR).
An ambulance crew is on standby at the station 24 hours a day. This crew consists of at least one ambulance attendant (ALS or BLS - see explanation at right), plus one ambulance driver (First Responder or higher). In many cases, a third crew member also responds with the ambulance.
Because we are a non-profit service supported by volunteers, our transport fees are lower than commercial ambulance services. Click here for the details.
As a transporting ambulance service, we are held to high legal standards to meet the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Our Medical Director is Dr. Marilyn Gifford, of Memorial Hospital.
Our EMS Coordinator is Deputy Chief Brandon Payne.
Advanced Life Support (ALS) providers include Registered Nurses, EMT-Paramedics, and EMT-Intermediates. These highly-trained professionals provide advanced care, such as drugs, heart monitoring, and manual defibrillation.
An Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) is a Basic Life Support (BLS) provider. An EMT-B may work independently, or under the direction of an ALS provider. If trained and approved for intravenous (IV) therapy, an EMT-B may give IV fluids.
First Responders are BLS providers who work under the direction of an EMT-B or ALS provider. All BFFR members must be First Responders or higher.