After the Twin Falls Fire Department began to offer emergency medical services in 2017, its annual call volume increased from 1,400 to 5,400.
“Twin Falls was probably one of the last major cities in Idaho that was not doing EMS,” said Fire Chief Les Kenworthy, who joined the department after it started those responses.
But in some ways, they weren’t as prepared as they could have been. Communication between the fire department and Magic Valley Paramedics is handled between two dispatch centers. The fire department sends three to four personnel out to each medical call, often in a full-sized fire engine. And sometimes, paramedics are spread thin between multiple counties and can’t get there right away.