By Sierra Lopez

Bay Area News Group

RICHMOND, Calif. — Two decades after Richmond firefighters first started pushing for the city to upgrade its emergency response capabilities, councilmembers signaled their support for establishing a paramedics program that will enable the department to provide advanced emergency life-saving care.

Currently, the Richmond Fire Department is the only fire agency in Contra Costa County not permitted to provide advanced life support care when sent out on emergency calls. That means the city’s firefighters, all of whom are certified emergency medical technicians, can only administer basic levels of care like CPR, defibrillation, basic airway management, medical assessments, blood sugar testing and basic trauma treatments.

Under a new initiative, Richmond F

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