FARGO - Crews at F-M Ambulance Service responded to a record number of calls on Aug. 10, the service's second record-setting date this summer.
On an average day, F-M Ambulance paramedics and emergency medical technicians respond to about 50 calls, the service stated in a news release Monday.
Call volume has steadily increased the past few years, but operations managers and crews have noticed a sharp increase lately, the release said.
On Aug. 10, crews responded to 78 calls, beating the previous record of 76 calls set on May 22. The service also had 75-call days on June 9 and July 13.
Despite the increase in calls, crews reached every patient on both record-setting days this summer within 8 minutes, 59 seconds, which is the national target for ambulance service response time, the release noted.
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Operations Manager Don Martin said crews usually have a little down time to finish up paperwork or grab a bite to eat, but they didn't on Aug. 10.
"The crews were going from one call right to the next. Amazing teamwork by every crew member helped us get through that day and respond to every call within our 8-minute 59-second goal. We had one of our most successful days despite increased demand on our service," Martin said in the release.
Compared with 2011, the call volume for January to August 2012 is up around 700 calls, the release stated.
