By Bill Carey
SA国际传媒/FireRescue1
PORTLAND, Ore. 鈥� Portland firefighters had to improvise when transporting a patient to the hospital on New Year鈥檚 Eve.
Firefighters were dispatched to a man who was experiencing chest pains on a TriMet bus near Southeast 94th Avenue and Foster Road. There were no available ambulances,鈥�鈥痳别辫辞谤迟别诲.
Facing a 20-minute wait for an ambulance, the firefighters decided to use the transit bus itself, with firefighters staying on the bus with the patient and a fire apparatus leading the way to the hospital.
鈥淚 call it a creative win by the crew on scene,鈥� Portland Fire & Rescue Public Information Officer Rick Graves said. 鈥淚t is unfortunate that that was the reality. But we鈥檙e tasked with solving problems.鈥�
Graves said the incident highlights the lack of ambulances that is causing a strain on first responders.
鈥淚n particular, the AMR and paramedics who are driving around the white ambulances, they run from call to call to call and they are doing what they can,鈥� Grave said. 鈥淚t would be nice if there were more paramedics to house double paramedics, white boxes of help, but we just do not have that.鈥�