Personnel from the Sacramento Fire Department's newest station responded to the near-drowning of a 50-year-old woman at a Natomas apartment complex Monday afternoon -- two hours after the station was put into service.
Fire Station 43, in the 4200 block of El Centro Road, just north of Arena Boulevard, began responding to calls at 2 p.m., according to a fire department news release.
The second call it ran was a reported drowning in a swimming pool at the Hurley Creek Apartments, less than a mile from the station, fire department Asst. Chief Niko King wrote in an email.
By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com
Crews arrived on scene at 4:03 p.m., 2 minutes and 15 seconds after being dispatched, according to the release. They found bystanders had pulled the woman out of the pool and were administering CPR.
Fire department paramedics began treating the woman and transported her to a local hospital, where she was breathing on her own upon arrival, the release states.
The department estimated that had the new station not been in service, it would have taken emergency crews 7-8 minutes to reach the scene from another fire station.
Fire Station 43 houses an engine company, which is staffed by four personnel, and brings the department's total number of active fire stations to 24, the release states.
In a written statement, Fire Chief Ray Jones said the new station "will increase our level of service and fire protection in the north area and throughout the city."
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