The City of Bridgeport is one of the few cities in West Virginia that has a fire department that also operates its own ambulance service. And Bridgeport Fire Chief Phil Hart said he’s certain that it’s the smallest.

 

For those that may think having a small department offering a critically important service is a bad thing, they should be put at ease by a state agency’s report that came out in February. Early in that month, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau for Public Health announced that Bridgeport met the requirements and standards for licensure as a state EMS agency.

 

Even more important, the DHHR’s Bureau of Public Health issued Bridgeport’s service an “A” rating. That rating means that it will be four years until Bridgeport has to once again have the scrutiny of the review.

 

“It’s a team effort. We’re extremely fortunate to have highly trained individuals and that most of our staff are trained as paramedics,” said Hart.

 

Steve Gallo, who serves as the lieutenant, said that 23 of the 26 paid staff members are paramedics. Hart and Gallo both said that Bridgeport ranks number one in the percentage of staff that has that level of training in all of West Virginia.

 

As for the review that took place early in 2016, Hart said the goal for the department is to meet and exceed the guidelines and regulations set forth. He said requirements run across every spectrum of ambulatory care one might imagine.

 

“There are so many things that they go over and they make sure no stone is left unturned,” Hart said. “For instance, they will review your hazardous waste disposal and make sure you have a signed contract with a company to prove that you’re doing that. They’ll look at the level of disaster drills and preparation that you’re doing … and things like if your mutual aid agreements are in order and how they’re working.”

 

Hart said, along with staff and the support of the city, the fire department has a number of partners. He said those involved in mutual aid and groups such as the staff at the North Central West Virginia Airport, where frequent disaster drill training takes place, are just a few of many that allow for an “A” rating to take place.

 

“There are just so many things that go into this,” said Hart. “We are honored to receive the rating we received and in four years we expect to receive another ‘A’ rating.”

 

All ambulatory care services go through this process, but as mentioned there are only a handful of fire departments offering the service – although most fire departments do offer first response assistance. Hart said he believes the only other fire departments and cities operating their own service are Martinsburg, Charleston and Wheeling.

 

Editor's Note: Photos show Bridgeport's Fire staff working on multiple accident scenes above.