The city of Mission is officially combining fire and ambulance services within the city’s fire department.

Now, Mission firefighters who are trained as paramedics will respond to any type of medical calls and provide treatment.

It’s a partnership that’s been in the works since 2019, city officials said.

Three ambulances are in service, and a fourth is getting its finishing touches.

The ambulances are fully equipped with everything firefighters need to provide the best care when responding to a call.

“Our paramedics are trained to a level where they can provide medications for cardiac arrest, they can treat patients that are suffering stroke, they can take care of any type of major trauma,” Mission Fire Chief Adrian Garcia said. “The most important thing, of course, [is being] able to quickly transport to definitive care to any of the local hospitals here within the Valley."

Garcia says his staff is always training, and their paramedics go over safety protocols and practice their skills.

The Mission Fire Department has a total of 90 firefighters. Chief Garcia says they’ll have a total of 30 people per shift, and five to eight of those will be paramedics on duty.

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