The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department’s Emergency Medical Services Division has become one of only a handful of fire department EMS operations in the country to earn accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, known as CAAS, marking a first for the department.
As of May 3, 2023, the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department became one of just four CAAS-certified EMS providers in Alabama, and the only fire department in the state to hold the national accreditation. The distinction is a significant one: among the more than 18,200 EMS agencies nationwide, including private, public and hospital-based services, only 185 are CAAS accredited, and just 25 of those are fire departments. The achievement places Mobile Fire-Rescue among the top 1% of emergency medical agencies in the United States.
A Long History of EMS Service
Mobile Fire-Rescue has been the lead EMS agency in the community since 1975, when it began providing paramedical services to residents. The department expanded its capabilities in 1991 by adding ambulatory transport, allowing its own units to carry patients directly to medical care rather than relying solely on outside transport providers.
Today, the EMS Division provides prehospital basic and advanced life support for acute illness and injury, focused on aggressive field stabilization and rapid transport to the appropriate medical facility. The division also supports other divisions within the department.
Staffing and Structure
The EMS Division’s administrative offices are located at Central Fire Station, 701 St. Francis Street, and the division is supervised by District Chief Jared Parker. Its administrative responsibilities include managing medical reports, maintaining and renewing the medical licenses held by department personnel, and overseeing the inventory and distribution of controlled drugs.
Division staff include Capt. Cary Hunter, Capt. Michael Balmes and Capt. Kristen Folsom, who help oversee the division’s day-to-day operations alongside Parker.
The core of Mobile Fire-Rescue’s EMS program is made up of nationally registered paramedics assigned to 12 advanced life support transport units, each stocked with advanced prehospital medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. Department-wide, Mobile Fire-Rescue has approximately 150 nationally registered paramedics assigned to engine companies and rescue ambulance units. Because these personnel are also certified firefighters, they serve in a dual role that improves the overall efficiency of the city’s emergency response system, allowing crews to handle both fire and medical emergencies without needing to dispatch separate specialized units.
Covering Mobile’s Biggest Events
Beyond day-to-day emergency response, the EMS Division is also responsible for arranging medical coverage at more than 300 special events across the City of Mobile each year. That includes Mardi Gras festivities, football and baseball games, the Azalea Trail Run, the Greater Gulf State Fair and numerous other city-sponsored gatherings that draw large crowds and require on-site medical readiness.
The CAAS accreditation reflects an evaluation of the quality of the division’s EMS operations against national standards, and the recognition underscores the level of training, equipment and oversight behind a system that both responds to emergencies and safeguards the health of residents at large public gatherings throughout the year.