North Bannock County Fire District could have EMT services soon

BANNOCK COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - The North Bannock County Fire District is finding ways to help keep people in rural areas safe.

Representatives from the fire district and the Bannock County Ambulance District met on Feb. 11 to discuss adding EMT services to the fire district.

Right now, the ambulance district is contracted through Pocatello Fire Department.

By adding EMT services to the North Bannock County Fire District (NBCFD), people who live far away from Pocatello's fire department could have emergency first aid even faster, officials said.

“It’s just that time that could save minutes or seconds and, if it’s serious crisis, those seconds count,” said Ernie Moser, Bannock County Commissioner.

The fire district already has EMT certified responders, but they can't go out on calls yet. Affiliating NBCFD with the EMTs would help them keep their certification, too.

“The biggest obstacle right now is how we get them paged out and where do we invest money in the systems to get them paged out,” Moser said.

EMTs located in the district would be available to provide first aid to their neighbors until an ambulance arrives.

Funding for the EMS program will come from grants and donations, not from tax revenue, according to the NBCFD.