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Q: Why are your ambulances red
when I notice that Jefferson County and Yellow EMS drive white trucks?
A: The GMC/Frazier ambulances that
we drive are red to help signify that we're a fire-based EMS service.
The same practice hold true with the City of Louisville fire-based
ambulances.
 Q:
Why do some fire hydrants have blue caps on them while
others have green?
A: The color of the caps signifies
how much water the hydrant is capable of providing. Blue means that
the hydrant can provide more than 1,500 gallons of water a minute
(GPM) green signifies that the hydrant is capable of providing between
1,000 and 1,500 GPM, Red mean the hydrant can provide between 500
and 999 GPM and Black means the hydrant provides between 1 and 499
GPM. We're fortunate that most of hour hydrants are Blue or Green
and we do not to have any Black hydrants providing less than 500
GPM. In most cases 500 to 1000 GPM is more than enough to handle
any fire in a large home. As a rule Green and Blue hydrants are
needed for commercial buildings with larger amounts of square footage.
We're happy to report that all of the Anchorage commercial areas
have Blue hydrants providing fire protection.
Q: Why do I see your ambulances
almost daily but rarely see your fire trucks out on the road?
A: Fortunately, the majority of
Anchorage home-owners are very safety-conscious so we have little
in the way of fires or fire emergencies. Also, most citizens have
their homes protected by fire and burglar alarms so there's little
chance of a small fire turning into something major. We average
around 200 fire runs a year, mostly malfunctioning alarms and food
on the stove runs, while the ambulance makes more than 2,000 a year.
Q: Why are the ambulances so
busy?
A: To establish an ambulance service
you have to get a certificate of need from the state. The certificate
of need requires that you provide service within a thirty minute
response area. As you can figure out, that means that pretty much
all of Jefferson and Oldham counties are within our response time.
However since other services cover those areas we aren't considered
their primary EMS service. But we do have mutual aid agreements
with the other services which states that if we need them they'll
respond to our emergencies as long as we'll agree to respond to
their emergencies. And since County EMS doesn't always have enough
trucks to handle their run volume, we're requested to respond with
or for them. In fact, the majority of our EMS runs are outside of
the Anchorage area.
Q: Is there a cost for the fire
department to come out and investigate an alarm or smell?
A: Your tax money pays for the fire
services. Therefore there is no charge for any fire run. The same
is true of the ambulance. All Anchorage citizens receive free treatment,
medication and transport to the hospital of their choice.
Q: Are all your firefighters
medically trained?
A: Since we run a fire and EMS service,
its imperative that anyone at the station be able to respond in
any capacity. Therefore, all firefighters are at the very least
emergency medical technicians. Some have advanced skills as paramedics.
Q: Is the service paid or volunteer?
A: Each shift is comprised of six
firefighter and EMS workers. Occasionally we have riders or volunteers
join us on runs.
Q: Is it possible to ride along
on fire and EMS runs as an observer?
A: Anyone over the age of 16 is
allowed to ride on the ambulance as an observer. However due to
safety considerations, only state-certified fire fighters are allowed
on the fire trucks.
Q: A member of our family has
a terminal disease. If we call an ambulance will they honor the
Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders?
A: Kentucky law forbids us from
recognizing any DNR request unless it's specifically spelled out
on their EMS DNR form. If you don't wish EMS to resuscitate a patient,
please download the Kentucky State DNR form
here and fill it our following the supplied instructions. Without
this form, we will have to do everything in our power to keep the
patient alive, including medication, intubation (a breathing tube
inserted into the nose or mouth) and defibrillation (shocking the
heart).
Q: Is there always someone at
the firehouse?
A: The department is staffed 24
hours a day, 365 days a year. Occasionally the entire crew may be
out of the house for lunch or errands. However there's always a
crew within a four minute response.
Q: Can I call the fire house
to request a fire truck or ambulance instead of calling 911?
A: The most expedient way to have
us respond is by calling 911 and telling them you live in Anchorage.
They will then dispatch us, as well as any mutual aid from other
departments that are needed.
Q: Do you really get cats out
of trees?
A: Yes, we do as long as we have
a ladder long enough to reach it. However before you call, give
the cat a few hours to think about its situation. Often when the
cats get tired they'll make it down on their own.
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