Nampa to Hire 3 Firefighter Paramedics in April 2005
By Lane Bettencourt
NAMPA - The Nampa Fire Department will add three firefighter-paramedics to its force, but Chief Ron Anderson said it won't be until April 1, halfway through the fiscal year.
The Nampa City Council adopted the budget for the 2005 financial year earlier this month. Because of budget constraints, city officials put off hiring the new fire personnel until next spring.
"We were hoping to have them Oct. 1, but there just wasn't the money in the budget," Anderson said.
When brought on board, all three firefighter-paramedics will be placed at Fire station No. 3 on Birch Lane in northeast Nampa, which is the only one of the four city fire stations without a paramedic-certified firefighter.
Then, all four stations will have at least one paramedic-firefighter on duty 24 hours a day.
Now, Anderson said, when a call comes into Station No. 3, a second engine company with a paramedic is dispatched from one of the other stations.
"If we find that a paramedic is not needed on the call," he explained, "we cancel that second engine and bring them back."
Anderson said Station No. 3 was chosen to go without a paramedic for the time being because it has the lowest volume of calls.
The addition of three new staff will bring the total in the department to 12 firefighter-paramedics.
