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At a Wednesday work session, the Fort Payne City Council listened to a proposal by Fort Payne Fire and Rescue to transport patients to the hospital since they already have paramedics and emergency medical technicians responding to emergency calls. Fire Chief Ron Saferite said the nature of fire departments nationwide has trended toward providing emergency medical treatment rather than simply putting out fires, so his crews are well trained to offer this service. He said they often wait at the scene with patients and their families until DeKalb Ambulance Service arrives. âThis is nothing against the ambulance service we presently have,â Saferite said. âThis is something we feel like is going to help the citizens of our town to receive quicker service. We usually beat [DAS] to the scene by five to seven minutes and sometimes that can be life-saving. Theyâve been known to take 20 to 30 minutes to get to the scene before they can transport the patient. When ....