Pickens County receives two new ambulances
PICKENS COUNTY, ALA. (WCBI) – These are the two new ambulances that will be used in Pickens County.
“It is a great day for the citizens of Pickens County,” said A.J. McCampbell, Alabama Representative.
The Alabama Fire College is donating an ambulance to Pickens County with the help of a $280,000 grant.
“Resiliency and redundancy are paramount in the fire service,” said Matt Russell, Executive Director of Alabama Fire College. “They have one ambulance in one part of the county, but they were not able to support a southern part of the county, and so this ambulance will be used in that capacity to be housed down south.”
The other ambulance is being provided through help from the State Legislature.
“It is going to make all the difference in the world,” said Mickey Walker, Mayor of Carrolton. “We will now have two 24-hour services, whereas before, we were down to one, and sometimes we did not even have one. We thank God that all the county commissioners and mayors joined together and made this happen.”
Carrolton Mayor Mickey Walker and Pickens EMS Operations Manager Gary Bradford know that when it comes to an emergency, time is of the essence, which is why they say these two new vehicles will make a huge impact in the county.
“The citizens need to understand that there is still going to be some lag time because you have two ambulances working the whole county.’ said Walker. “But this makes it now to where we are twice as good as we once were, and we are grateful for this.”
“I think it is going to be a great benefit for this county because we are going from one truck and having to back it up from other counties, to now having two trucks,” said Bradford. “And of course, with us being a neighboring role with Lamar County, we can also serve as a backup role for them. ”
Bradford said the staffing for these two ambulances is already in place.
“We got a full truck staff right now,” said Bradford. “And I am also a licensed medic, and I can fill in as needed.”
Walker said the next step is adding a third ambulance and getting an Emergency Room for Pickens County.
