Coaldale residents shouldn’t be surprised if the fire department arrives at their home after they place a 911 medical call.

Last month, the Coaldale Fire Department launched a Quick Response Service with the Tamaqua Ambulance.

Through it, emergency medical personnel from the fire department will respond to calls and care for patients until ambulance crews are available.

The service began in September but plans have been in the works for months, said John “J.T.” Cray, the ambulance association’s director of operations.

“It’s basically to get help on the scene before an ambulance getting there because EMS has been stretched thin over the past few years - and it has been getting increasingly worse,” Cray said.

The Tamaqua Ambulance’s primary coverage area includes Coaldale, Tamaqua, and the townships of Rush, Walker and Schuylkill.

“But with the way things have been over the past couple years with the nationwide EMS crisis,” Cray said the ambulance might have to respond to places as far away as Shenandoah or parts of Luzerne and Carbon counties.

That means that there are times that the ambulance isn’t immediately available. And so, the Coaldale department will be dispatched simultaneously with the ambulance.

“They can get there - when seconds count,” Cray said.

When called, the all-volunteer Coaldale department sends trained emergency medical responders or emergency medical technicians in a fire truck.

“The job of the QRS is to provide basic care and first aid until a transport-capable ambulance can arrive” and take the patient to a hospital, Cray said. “They’ll stay there with a patient, assess vital signs and do trauma or medical assessments while the ambulance is on its way.”

All the while, the Coaldale QRS team stays in touch with the Tamaqua Ambulance.

Cray noted that on average, about 300 calls for basic or advanced life support come in each year from Coaldale.

Since the QRS started, the fire department has been dispatched to just under 20 calls. They’ve helped patients with issues like chest pains, lacerations and strokes.

Anthony Soberick, department lieutenant, has responded to a number of QRS calls.

When they realize a fire truck has rolled in to assist, he said, they’re “really grateful.”

Of course, the fire department will continue fighting fires and responding to other emergencies.

“The ambulance and fire companies are both entities that help people at their worst times,” Cray said.