Smyrna's fire leadership briefed council on a new quick-response EMS pilot launched Oct. 24 to address rising medical-call volumes. The pilot placed two staffed pickup-style quick-response units—"Squad 1" at Fire Station 1 and "Squad 5" at Station 5—into service, using existing crew and vehicle resources.

"Collectively, those two stations account for 72 percent of our EMS calls," the chief said, explaining placement decisions. In a six-day sample following deployment, staff reported the two squads responded to 68 medical calls, which the department said represented roughly 58 percent of the medical calls in that sample period. If early trends hold, staff estimated the model could reduce overall apparatus responses by 35 to 40 percent, decreasing wear on larger, more costly trucks and improving fleet longevity.

The pilot uses two existing pickup trucks outfitted with medical bags and basic supplies. Staff emphasized the arrangement was intentionally configured to keep larger apparatus available for structure fires and other nonmedical incidents; crew turnout gear remains staged so units can still assist if a simultaneous event requires additional personnel.

Fire leadership said they will continue to collect operational data to judge response times, unit placement and whether to expand the approach to other zones or add specialized equipment. Council members asked that deployment locations be shown on the weekly report so elected officials and the public can track where the squads operate.