There are three levels of services: basic, limited and advanced life support
MARQUETTE -- They're called lifesavers. Paramedics are often the first ones on a scene, but 911 isn't the only call they answer. There are three levels of services: basic, limited and advanced life support.
And here in the U.P., they don't settle.
"All of our ambulances here at Marquette General are all advanced life support, which is the highest license of ambulances; we can handle anything and we do all three on a daily basis," said Operations Supervisor at MGH, Bob Frazee.
It includes everything from transferring patients to nursing homes or different hospitals. And although we found them all on a quiet afternoon, paramedics said they answer roughly 3000 phone calls per year.
"We all take it seriously due to that it is a life or death situation at times; we take pride in having a lot of education, continuing to practice our skills," said Bell EMS Paramedic Bradley Nelson.
On Facebook, Riley Purcell wrote, "I feel we need to applaud all EMS services in the U.P. They all do a great job and put in many hours of training and service to protect us!"
But their help comes with a pricey tag. Facebook viewer Sheila Mann Wedell added, "The EMT services are phenomenal, too bad so very expensive."
That's because it takes only two paramedics on a call to perform any life-saving procedure.
"If someone calls 911 and asks for an ambulance, we're going. There's no questions asked. We don't care if you have insurance or you don't have insurance, you're going to get the same level of care as anybody else," Frazee said.
Privately owned companies, like Mediride, also offer advanced life support services and alternate the county's emergency calls with Marquette General Hospital. Whether you choose public or private, their pricing isn't too different. It all depends on the patient's needs.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC