LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A fire department covering over 30 square miles in southern Jefferson County is expanding its reach with a new Emergency Medical Services Division.

The initiative is personal for the Fairdale Fire Chief, Carrie Blevins. She keeps a photo of her mother on her desk.

“To make sure I make good decisions, and keep progress in helping others,” said Blevins.

It’s been four years since Blevins lost her mother, an experience she said could have been avoided.

“They shocked [her] 11 times, and it took an ambulance 30 minutes to 35 minutes to get on scene to actually do the transport,” said Blevins.

Now, as Jefferson County’s first female fire chief, she’s determined to make sure no one else goes through what she did. Her solution? Cutting down EMS response times.

“If there was

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