The residents of Falcon got a welcome early Christmas present when the Falcon Fire Protection District began operating its own ambulance service Dec. 1 under the Emergency Medical Services Division, with Chief Jon Webb at the helm.Webb, with 27 years of experience, was hired in June 2019 to start up the ambulance service. He began his career in 1992 in Marin County, California, as a firefighter/emergency medical technician. In 1996, he moved to Montana where he graduated from Montana State University with a paramedic certificate. While still in school, Webb started working for American Medical Response ambulance service in Billings, Montana. He moved to Colorado Springs in 2001 and continued to work for AMR. Webb is also a hospital corpsman in the Navy reserves.The department recently purchased two new ambulances, one based at Station 1 on Meridian Ranch Road and the other at Station 4 on Capital Drive, north of Constitution Avenue. Each ambulance is staffed with one paramedic and one EMT. The department currently has 10 paramedics. In contrast to EMTs, who only require six months training, paramedics undergo a more extensive two-year training course. All department firefighters are certified as EMTs.Most of the department’s paramedics came from AMR while the EMTs in the ambulance service came from within the department. In January, the district plans to purchase a third ambulance that will be based at Station 3; they will hire three more paramedics to staff it. The third ambulance should be operational by March.From Dec 1 until Dec 18, the ambulance service handled 46 patients with a variety of medical issues, including falls, sickness, cardiac problems and auto accidents. Webb said response times are much quicker since the district ambulance service began Dec. 1.Webb said the department will be working out rural aid agreements to assist neighboring fire departments with ambulance calls.
