Honoring EMS workers during the month of May, FOX23 learned how the Tulsa fire chief helped launch the first paramedic firetrucks in Tulsa more than 20 years ago.
Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker has had a career full of helping people. He worked in the military, then as a paramedic, and then a firefighter, before taking on the role of chief about a year ago.
Baker has responded to thousands of emergency calls throughout his career and while those haven’t stopped, he says the care available when you call 911 in Tulsa has changed a lot over time. In 2000, he helped launch the first two paramedic fire trucks equipped with almost the same level of supplies you would find on a traditional ambulance and the firefighters trained to use them.
“We started with just a handful of paramedics and then now we’re to about 120 paramedics on the fire department with 16 fire apparatus that are providing that level of care,” Baker says.