KAYSVILLE, Utah — Like many communities in Utah, the city of Kaysville is experiencing population growth, and with that comes the increased need for first responders and emergency services. However, the Kaysville Fire Department just got some brand new equipment they say will help with their response times.
The Kaysville fire chief says they now have over 2,000 calls for service each year with many of those involving the need for paramedics. Now they have a brand new, tricked-out vehicle that should allow them to have what they need when they need it when those 911 calls come in.
Fire Chief Paul Erickson has been fire chief in the city for 7 years. He says there are now 8,000 more residents than when he first started. "With 2,000 calls a year it was definitely a need, so we put together a build on a 2024 Chevy it has been really good for us," Erickson explained.
The new paramedic vehicle recently hit the streets of Kaysville. One of the younger members of the department, Colton Bascom, helped outfit the Chevy with what he hopes is everything a crew will need when they arrive on any scene. Bascom stated, "This one is also equipped with what we call a howler."
That 'howler' is something the crew hopes will help the team get their call safely and on time. "It has a deep, deep rumble, so if people are listening to music, it will offset that tone a little bit and just alert people that, we're not trying to ruin your day, but we have an emergency we're trying to respond to. So if you could just stop for a minute so we can clear and then you can get back to your normal life that helps us out quite a bit," Bascom stated.
Two more brand new pieces of equipment are coming next year, including a heavy rescue vehicle that should be here by next spring and a brand new ambulance about a year from now. All to help serve this growing community.
