The Padanaram Causeway closed on August 1, and will remain closed until the the construction project is finished in June 2018. The 911 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) provider for the Town of Dartmouth—STAT Ambulance—is going above and beyond its contractual obligations to provide an unaffected response time.

The current contract with the Town of Dartmouth mandates two full-time ambulances be available for coverage, with a third on-call. A new contract—going into effect on October 1—mandates the third vehicle cover Dartmouth during peak hours. However, STAT Ambulance will be providing three vehicles for 24/7 coverage to the town until the bridge and causeway reopen.

"We've been here. We're trying to do the right thing," said STAT EMS Coordinator Ryan Cabral.

Two vehicles will be housed at District No. 1 fire station, located at 10 Bridge Street, according to the District No. 1 Prudential Committee.

On the other side of the causeway, the District No. 2 fire station—located at 1100 Russells Mills Road—will host a third vehicle and two paramedics, said District No. 2 Chief Tim Andre.

STAT currently rents space in the District No. 2 headquarters for about $1,200 each month, said Andre, which he said is only enough to supplement the company's stay. "We're not doing it to make money, he said."

District No. 1 is currently negotiating a contract with STAT, but is hosting the company in good faith until an agreement can be reached.