A new medical first responder license for the Athens-Clarke County Fire and Emergency Services will allow more firefighters to be trained as certified emergency medical technicians.
This means that if firefighters are the first ones to an emergency scene, they can treat patients while waiting on the ambulance to come.
The new medical first responder license, which was issued by the Georgia Department of Public Health, allows firefighters to carry lifesaving equipment like defibrillators, and trauma equipment.
By the fall, over 50 percent of the fire department will be EMT trained.