BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer
HOWELL — The Howell Police Department is instituting an Emergency Medical Services squad that will be staffed with Special Class I police officers who are trained emergency medical technicians.
Police Capt. Robert Scott will direct the operations of the new squad. He said the police department’s medical unit has been created to supplement the work of Howell’s volunteer first aid squads which are already in place to respond to daytime emergency calls.
"This is being done to help out the volunteers who are still the most important part of the emergency medical system," the captain said.
Scott said an increase in the number of daytime emergency calls generated in the township has made the new medical team in the police department a necessity. He said that no full-time officers will be used to staff the new medical unit. The department has hired 12 trained emergency medical technicians who will receive training to become Special Class I police officers.
According to Scott, the new special officers will work part time and have limited police powers, such as fire zone enforcement. When the special officers are not answering emergency calls, they will be performing clerical duties at headquarters, according to Scott.
The police medical team will be based at police headquarters.
Scott said the target start date for the new police medical squad is June 7. He said once the program is up and running there will be two officers and one ambulance on standby at police headquarters to answer daytime emergency calls that come in Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.