Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We offer this service free at all fire stations in the Town. Please recognize that, from time to time, our personnel might be absent from the station due to emergency calls or training activities. 

There are various reasons a fire engine will respond with the ambulance on requests for an ambulance.  They include:

1. The fire engine is the closest emergency equipment to your location.  While waiting for the ambulance to arrive these Firefighters/EMTs and Paramedics can render whatever aid is needed.  Along with basic medical equipment, all fire engines are equipped with automatic defibrillators, a device used to monitor the heart and deliver an electrical charge to correct a life-threatening heart rhythm.
2.  A  ‘serious’ or ‘critical’ medical emergency. A fire engine comes along with an ambulance for safety and manpower. We plan for the worst and hope for the best when responding to a call. Also, the closest ambulance is dispatched to answer your call; however, emergency medical help must arrive on the scene as soon as possible. Since ambulances may be transporting other patients or completing duties at the hospital, a fire engine will likely be closer to the call. Therefore, the nearest fire engine (with medical equipment and EMTs) is dispatched with the ambulance.

During emergency operations, all personnel on the scene are trained to function as a lifesaving team with teamwork being essential.

The patient cot has a thin, firm mattress that lays directly on an aluminum frame and provides very little comfort. Unfortunately, the cot must be firm in order for us to perform CPR on critically ill patients. In addition, we try to respond to medical emergencies as quickly as possible in order to provide timely, life-saving treatment. Consequently, this requires vehicles with good road-handling characteristics. If these large, heavy vehicles had a softer, more "spongy" suspension that would provide a smoother ride, they would not be safe to drive to the scene as quickly as possible. 

The difference between an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a Paramedic is a matter of training. A Paramedic goes through more training and can provide a higher level of emergency care than an EMT. A Paramedic is an EMT. There are different levels of EMT training; EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, EMT-Paramedic, and Licensed Paramedic. Each level requires more training than the prior.

The Goffstown Fire Department has Privacy Practices rules, state, local, and federal laws, and which conform to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).  Protection of information for patient privacy and confidentiality is an organizational mandate.  To find out more details about Privacy Policy link here.

The State of New Hampshire Department of Safety has released a form that can be completed and submitted to E911 so that they can supply emergency response personnel with any pertinent medical information in an emergency. Visit the New Hampshire Emergency Services and Communications website on this page.