MERCED, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Merced Fire Department now provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) services, staffing paramedics 24/7 at Fire Station 53. This new status comes with additional training, new equipment, and eight paramedics at the station on Loughborough Drive. "Becoming an ALS department is something that's been talked about for my entire 20 years here, we actually found historical documents that dated all the way back to the seventies, about implementing a paramedic program," said Merced Interim Fire Chief Casey Wilson. About 50 years later, with support from the Merced City Council and a $500,000 FEMA grant, the dream became a reality - but, the program will start only at Station 53. "There's a large call volume in this north side of Merced, so they run about 3,500 calls a year so we can make the most impact here at Station 53," Wilson said.  Prior, the City of Merced's firefighters were only EMT-trained. Now, Station 53 will be staffed with a paramedic, 24/7, 365 days a year. "We can get on scene instead of providing basic life support, we can provide advanced life support," Wilson said. "I believe the EMTs can give about four or five drugs, paramedics can give quite a few more, we have different pain medications we can give anywhere from I.V. Tylenol all the way up to ketamine, depending on the severity of the patient's pain." On the scene, the paramedics will identify a patient’s problem, but they will not transfer them to the hospital. "Riggs Ambulance is still the ambulance provider in Merced County, and this just allows us to support them in assessing patients and supporting them in getting the patients to the hospital," Wilson said.  While there are only eight fully trained paramedics right now, there are ten additional personnel either currently in paramedic training or set to start training this month. Once the new paramedics are all qualified, Wilson said they will be placed at other fire stations across the city as they work to expand the program.