GARDEN GROVE : Paramedic Team Added to Trask Avenue Fire Station

A paramedic team has joined the fire station on Trask Avenue to serve residents in the city’s southeast area.

Fire Chief Vincent Bonacker said the addition this week of a paramedic team at Fire Station No. 3 at 12132 Trask Ave. means four of the city’s seven fire stations now have paramedics.

A paramedic team consists of a captain, an engineer who drives the fire engine and a paramedic-firefighter.

Bonacker said that the team at Fire Station No. 3 will not involve additional expense because a trained paramedic will be added to an existing engine company.

Bonacker said that it is part of the Fire Department’s effort to meet the increasing demand for emergency medical assistance, which makes up a majority of calls to the fire stations.

The paramedic, also a trained firefighter, will be responsible for operating emergency medical equipment and evaluating the condition of patients before the arrival of regular paramedics.

“This will help reduce medical emergency response times and increase the level of service at no additional cost,” Bonacker said.

There are paramedic teams at the Fire Department headquarters on Acacia Parkway, Station No. 2 at 11805 Gilbert Avenue and Station No. 5 at 12751 Western Ave.

The 93-member Garden Grove Fire Department has 23 paramedics. It does not have its own ambulance service but contracts with Southland Life Fleet, a private company based in Anaheim.