Chattanooga Fire Department debuts new vehicles for medical calls

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Fire Department responded to 17,453 medical emergencies last year.

That’s about 48% of their calls.

On Monday, they debuted a new kind of vehicle to respond to them in the future.

They call them Quick Response Vehicles, or QRVs.

They are specially equipped Ford Explorers that will hold two firefighters trained as EMTs.

The smaller units will roll out to medical calls, instead of the larger fire trucks.

“We believe the QRVs will allow us to provide a quicker and more efficient response to medical emergencies,” said Training Chief Phil Hyman, “and when it comes to medical emergencies, such as heart attacks and strokes, the quicker you provide care, the better the outcome for the patient.”