FORSYTH, Ill. (WCIA) – The Hickory Point Fire Protection District in Forsyth launched a new ambulance service earlier this month, an initiative that voters approved last year.

Hickory Point Fire Chief Josh Trendler said so far, the service has been going well.

“It’s been actually incredibly smooth, surprisingly,” Trendler said.

The initiative is meant to expand the services that the fire department provides to the community.

“Prior to us having an ambulance, we did provide medical care to the district,” Trendler said. “What we were not able to do was transport. So, this just continued service for the district.”

He said with this service, the department, which runs about 700 medical calls a year, has 24-hour staffing to help people who need medical attention.

“We know we can have consistent service,” Trendler said. “We know we have control over not only the staffing, but their training. But also we make sure that we have coverage for our district.”

The department has two ambulance rigs, but only one of them is in service. They plan to have the second one available to serve the community at the beginning of next month.