Rescue Unit for Station 8

City Councilors Don Harris and Rey Garduño have introduced a bill that would fund a rescue unit for Fire Station 8, located in the Foothills. The bill, which will come before the Council at its Sept. 9 meeting, would allocate $380,000 from the photo enforcement fund to establish the rescue unit.

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As it stands, Station 8 is without a rescue unit and must rely on nearby stations for those services. In 2008, 53.4 percent of all rescue calls went to stations affected by Fire Station 8’s lack of a rescue unit.

Councilor Harris believes funding a rescue unit for Station 8 will reduce rescue response times for Foothills residents and help make the community safer.

“A rescue at Station 8 is desperately needed to protect residents” Harris said. “The area has a median age 6 years older than the rest of the city. As a result residents in the area are more likely to need advanced life support. They should have a rescue.”

Councilor Garduño considers a rescue at Station 8 an important piece of the puzzle to fill gaps in our public safety network.

“The busiest rescue in the city, Rescue 12, is located at Juan Tabo and Central. The second busiest rescue in the city, Rescue 5, is located at Central and Pennsylvania,” Garduño said. “These stations are in the core of the city, and they need relief.”

A rescue unit employs paramedics who are trained to perform advanced medical procedures, such as cardiac monitoring, defibrillation, in-depth patient assessments and drug administration. Station 8, located at 1400 Indian View Place N.E., already has the space to accommodate a rescue unit and needs only the funding to get one off the ground.