HAMPTON, Va. — Hampton Fire & Rescue is taking the next step in their effort to respond to all the medical calls the department receives.
That step is trying to hire more advanced life-saving technicians.
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India Cassidy is one of Hampton Fire & Rescue’s advanced life-saving (ALS) technicians. Her duties include responding to medical calls, but not fires.
“My passion’s always been medical, not necessarily fire," Cassidy explained.
As of May 5, Hampton Fire & Rescue had eight ALS techs. For the fire department, those are paramedics who respond to medical calls only. They provide advanced care to patients, which includes things like airway management and giving patients medications.
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“It’s actually become more of a common thing. You see Suffolk and Norfolk and even, I guess, Virginia Beach and even Richmond for that matter. You have people that just do medical because they don’t necessarily have that passion for fire," said Cassidy.
Hampton’s city manager’s proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year includes money for five more ALS techs.
“I definitely feel like it’s something that we need," Cassidy said. "I think on average, right now, we are on 10-hour shifts. I know we’re about to go to 12. But we do take about five to six patients transport-wise to the hospital. Sometimes we get more calls than that, we just don’t actually transport the patients.”
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Having ALS techs also reduces the amount of time fire trucks have to respond to a medical call, which helps the trucks last longer. Hampton Fire & Rescue Chief Jason Monk said the number of EMS calls the department receives has gone up nearly 40 percent since 2011.
News 3 asked him how long he thinks the department could get by with the extra five ALS techs included in the proposed budget before more need to be hired.
“We’re a very data-driven organization. Data doesn’t lie. That helps us determine what the needs are. So we’re going to evaluate it throughout the time, much like we have the last couple of years, which led us to this point here," Monk said.
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If the money is approved, he said hiring could start once the new fiscal year begins in July.
“We already have folks that have shown some interest in being one of those five ALS technicians," Monk said.
A promising sign for a growing challenge with lives at stake.
