This story was updated on July 10th, 2023
There's a new medic unit on the streets of Lincoln and it may come as a surprise to Lincolnites and close followers of Lincoln Fire and Rescue.
Medic 4, repositioned from downtown's Station 1, began running calls late this week.
According to Public Information Officer MJ Lierman, data analyzed by the department identified that the area surrounding Station 4, located at 27th and Old Cheney Road, would benefit from a seasonal ambulance to address peak call volumes.
This strategy isn't new, with the department previously tapping data to bring back a seasonal ambulance to the city earlier this year. The department has publicly said that a computer system upgrade in recent years allows them to collect more data points to influence changes like these.
Ongoing construction at Station 8, near 17th and Van Dorn Street, enabled the moves. Lierman said this was due to additional staffing created by the station's closure and relocation of their crew and apparatus.
The new Medic 4 aims to run Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM, staffing allowing, in order to ease the load on Lincoln's seven other 24/7 ambulances.