FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MERCED, Calif. [August 10, 2026] It’s official. Beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, August 10, Merced Fire Station 52 began providing Advanced Life Support services, marking an important expansion of emergency medical services in the City of Merced.
With the upgrade at Station 52, all five City fire stations will now have a firefighter-paramedic on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“This is something we’ve been working toward for some time,” said Division Chief Mickey Brunelli. “When someone calls 911 for a medical emergency, minutes matter. Having a paramedic available at every station gives us another tool to provide the best possible care to our community.”
For residents and businesses in the Station 52 service area, this change means South Merced will now have dedicated Advanced Life Support (ALS) service, with paramedic-level care available directly from their neighborhood fire station.
Advanced Life Support allows firefighter-paramedics to provide a higher level of emergency medical care, including cardiac monitoring, medication administration, advanced airway management and other lifesaving treatment before a patient reaches the hospital.
Medical emergencies account for approximately 70 percent of calls handled by the Merced Fire Department, making paramedic coverage an important part of the Department’s day-to-day operations.
The expansion has also been supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant. The grant allowed the City to add 24 firefighter positions, increasing staffing and helping the Department expand its emergency response capabilities. Funding for paramedic-level training was made possible through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, while the ALS equipment needed to support the program was made possible through the support of the Merced City Council through the annual budget process.
“The SAFER and AFG grants have played an important role in giving us the staffing and training needed to strengthen service throughout the City,” Fire Chief Casey Wilson said. “Getting Station 52 to ALS and having paramedic coverage at every station is a big step for our department and for the community we serve.”
The Merced Fire Department operates five fire stations throughout the City and responded to more than 12,700 calls for service in 2025. Call volume is expected to continue exceed 14,000 in 2026.
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