The victim, in the Tuesday afternoon wreck, was removed from his car and carefully placed in the ambulance to be transported to Jennie Stuart Medical Center.

This particular traffic accident, though, was not your usual emergency.

Mannequin is just that -- a mannequin.

And the accident and victim's rescue was part of a demonstration by the Hopkinsville Fire Department and the city-county Ambulance Service to spotlight Emergency Medical Services Appreciation Month and the Fire Department's centennial celebration.

The demonstration was the first of a three–day series of presentations by the local agencies to illustrate just how far the local emergency services have come in the past six years. Similar events were scheduled for 11 a.m. today and Thursday.

"In 1995, (the HFD) went from a basic life support service to the advanced life support service," said city Fire Chief Bill Jeffries.

The service -- and the funds -- have changed in the past six years as well as the outlook on the department.

"When we first changed from a BLS to the ALS, we were approximately $100,000 in debt," Jeffries said. "Now, we are sitting on an excess of a half a million dollars, and we have all new trucks and equipment."

New trucks include a 2001 Jeep Cherokee and a $113,000 1999 Freight–Liner, both equipped with $75,000 worth of emergency room–type technology including a Lifepack 12 -- a device with multiple life–saving capabilities -- and an Automatic Electronic Defibrillator, along with medic kits outfitted with needles and pain–relieving drugs.

Under the BLS, the most an emergency medical technician could have done for a patient was administer oxygen and bandage cuts. Now, they can do just about everything.

"The only thing we cannot do on the trucks that they can do in the emergency room is take X-rays and do lab work," said Troy Beach, assistant Ambulance Service coordinator.

The ability to do more for the patient allows the ambulance workers to get down to business when they first arrive on site.

"We don't have to wait for anybody," Beach said.

The changes have been profound and the results exceptional.

"What used to come to you if you needed help is a big difference than what comes to you now," Jeffries said.

However, Jeffries doesn't want to see this improved program stagnate. He would rather see it grow to another, higher level.

"I would like to see paramedic engine stations in all four of our locations," the chief said. "With paramedic engine stations, our response time would be twice as fast as it is now."

Plans to have paramedics in every station is one with a few glitches. Glitches that are being mulled over.

"We are considering in–house paramedic training, but it is hard to be in the middle of training and an alarm sound and have to get up and leave to go to a fire," Beach said.

Inverting the process seems to be the way to go, according to fire Capt. Fagen Pace.

"It is easier to take medics and train them to be firefighters while on duty, then to take a firefighter and train him to be a medic while on duty," Pace said.

But getting as far as they have has been a struggle in itself, according to Beach.