The city of Alton is working to get all their firefighters EMT certified.

The city already has three firefighters with the certification, but are now asking the state for permission to hold in-house trainings. This is to make sure there is staff at the fire station while training, but also to help patients when ambulance wait times reach up to 15 minutes.

"If the ambulances are busy, because sometimes they are very busy, and they're having to run multiple calls, we can go and start treatment before and while we wait for the ambulance," Alton Fire Chief Gustavo Ramirez said.

Ramirez said they could soon get temporary permission from the state to allow for in-house training by October.

The state certification from Texas Health and Human Services includes completing hours inside a local emergency room and first-hand EMS experience with nearby fire departments.