interfacing entities

The Belmont Fire Protection District often times interfaces with two other local government entities regularly.  The first is the local emergency medical technicians, which has a headquarters in Foster City, and the second is the Belmont Police Department.  The EMT partnership is very important to the BFPD because an EMT is present on the engine at all times.  Up to 90% of the calls BFPD answers are medical, so an emergency medical technician has to be present.  It is much harder to get two entities down to one call, so their partnership is essential often times to the health of the individual calling.  With Foster City being a farther distance from Belmont, having an EMT on every engine makes the response time much faster.  It could be the difference between life and death.  The BFPD prides itself on being reliable to Belmont residents and protecting them.  If they did not have a partnership with the EMTs of San Mateo County, it would not only use up more tax payer money, but it would not be providing the residents with the same quality of service. 

The other local government entity that the Belmont Fire Protection District interfaces with is the Belmont Police Department.  They share the same office space in city hall, and they are always interacting.  There is a sense of understanding between these two entities, and in a sense, they both share the same aim: to protect the Belmont community.  The BFPD and the BPD share the same jurisdiction and often times go out to the same calls.  They are constantly communicating because a call may turn into an emergency one of the entities cannot handle.  For example, at the scene of a criminal fire, the BFPD detain the suspected arsonist.  Therefore they would call the BPD.  Another example, if a fight broke out during a routine traffic stop and someone was injured, the police officer cannot provide medical services.  Therefore they would call the BFPD because an EMT is always on the runs.  The interaction of these two entities is essential to the well-being of the Belmont Community as a whole.