‘This group of EMS personnel we’ve got is outstanding’ Medley talks about Daleville’s EMS Department

Director of Daleville’s Department of Public Safety Allen Medley sat down to discuss Daleville’s EMS Department as he comes up on the end of his first year as director.

The first thing Medley talked about was the equipment the department has at their disposal.

“We run three trucks, they’re all ALS (Advanced Life Support) equipped,” Medley said. “We have a newly purchased golf cart that’s used for special events and football games so that we can transfer people off the football field if we have to.”

The 23-member department is all paid volunteers who are paid by the call. He thanked Assistant Chief David Grubbs for his work in the department as well as all the members for making sure all the behind-the-scenes things get done.

“There’s a lot of things that go on behind the scenes to make sure these trucks are equipped with everything they need, that the meds that we have are up to date (and) making sure that we have 24/7 coverage,” Medley said.

He complimented every single member on their hard work and dedication and thanked them for volunteering their time for the city.

“It means a lot to see people come forward (to volunteer) and we need more,” Medley said. “It’s a hard job and it’s not for everybody. The things that we see, not your everyday person could handle. It takes a different strong person to do what we do. They all do a good job of stepping up and filling in and doing the job that needs to be done. This group of EMS personnel we’ve got is outstanding. I’d put them up against anybody, they’re one of a kind.”

Medley said that the department recently added two rooms to help the members that have to take overnight shifts.

“We have two rooms that we have recently added since I took over,” Medley said. “They’re two-bedroom type things that if somebody’s working a shift and they need to stay overnight, they can.”

Medley said that the city has talked about having a fully-staffed, full-time EMS department instead of a volunteer-only department, but funding is a struggle in that goal.

“It would be nice to be able to have a fully staffed EMS, but the funding thing comes in again,” Medley said. “It’s one thing we’ve talked about but you have to look at what comes in and what would go out.”

Regardless, he said that he’s proud of the department and the job all of the employees do.

“All-in-all it’s just a bang up EMS Department,” Medley said.