James Carlino, a commissioner for East Manatee Fire Rescue, said having a firefighter medic arrive as a first responder will equate to saved lives.
Now he has to convince Manatee County residents that the extra expense to stock East Manatee Fire Rescue with Advanced Life Support paramedics is worth every dollar.
“I want us to be able to have the highest level of care possible when we show up to save people's lives and give them that high standard of care from the very beginning,” said Carlino, who has been advocating for an Advanced Life Support program to be added to the trucks of the East Manatee Fire Rescue for the past two years.
According to District Chief Lee Whitehurst, Advanced Life Support is the inclusion of a firefighter medic on board a vehicle.