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Orion Township Fire Department Begins Advanced Life Support Service


Orion Township, MI (June 12, 2021) – Effective June 12, 2021 at 0800hrs, Orion Township Fire Department will begin Advanced Life Support services.  The transition from Basic Life Support (BLS) to Advanced Life Support (ALS) is years in the making, and included the purchasing of additional apparatus, specialized equipment, and medications, and the hiring and training of full-time paramedics.

“We are able to make this transition from BLS to ALS because of everyone’s hard work and dedication at the OTFD” said Orion Township Fire Chief Rob Duke. “I also want to thank the Board of Trustee’s for their unwavering support to the community and the support for the Fire Department, without which this process would not be realized.”

Advanced Life Support is a set of life-saving protocols and skills that extend beyond Basic Life Support. It is used to provide urgent treatment to cardiac emergencies such as cardiac arrest, stroke, and other conditions.  Paramedics qualified to provided ALS are trained and authorized to administer medication, perform injections, and conduct airway procedures prior to arrival at a hospital.

Up until now, Orion Township Fire Department was Basic Life Support and partnered with other municipal agencies and Star EMS for Advanced Life Support.  While effective in the past, the reliance on a third-party for this critical level of care was becoming unsustainable.  Now, Orion Township paramedics will be able to provide this critical care from the moment of first arrival, greatly reducing the time between the onset of the medical event and the start of critical care, which will increase survival rates of sudden cardiac arrests and other emergencies for Orion Township residents.

“We have seen tremendous growth in the professionalism and capacity of our Fire Department” said Chris Barnett, Township Supervisor. “Over the past many years, we have grown from a paid on-call department to a full-time department, now to an ALS department.  I am incredibly proud of the OTFD team, under the leadership of Chief Duke, Assistant Chief Pender and EMS Coordinator Cameron, who have dedicated countless hours to making this happen, and further thank the Orion Township community who has shown the Fire Department their support through the passage of a dedicated Fire Millage, which has allowed this advancement to be possible.”

For more information on the Fire Department’s efforts in becoming ALS, please reach out to Assistant Chief John Pender at jpender@oriontownship.org,  and stay tuned for more information on this year’s Fire Department Open House, where the community is invited to explore the Fire Department apparatus and meet with the men and women who serve the community.