LAUDERDALE COUNTY, AL (WAFF)- Folks in Lauderdale County will soon have a new ambulance provider.

Shoals Ambulance Service will take over coverage for all areas in Lauderdale County, including the city of Florence, at midnight.

Both the city and county accepted a bid to adopt their services earlier this year.

The switch ends Lauderdale County's partnership with LEMS.

Not only is CEO Bryan Gibson ensuring the best services to the community; he's taking the extra step to help protect his employees on the job - requiring them to wear helmets.

"The back of an ambulance is an unsafe place. We're driving high rates of speed through red lights and stop signs," said Gibson. "Hopefully they stop and they should, but things happen and sometimes people don't see us and we get hit."

SAS is one of the first departments in the country to require their employees to wear helmets while responding to emergencies.

LAUDERDALE COUNTY, AL (WAFF)- Authorities responded to a fatal wreck on Highway 157 in Lauderdale County near the landfill on Monday night.

State Troopers said Jimmy Ford, Jr. of Florence was pronounced dead at the scene around 9 p.m. He was the passenger in the vehicle.

Another man in the car was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital. His condition is unknown.

State Troopers continue to investigate.

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FLORENCE, AL (WAFF)- The mayor of Florence is asking for patience as the city works to fix a sewer problem.

That work is causing a lot of noise.

A collapsed sewer line near Lawrence Avenue off Florence Boulevard has forced crews to install a temporary pump in order to keep the nearby businesses and homes running as usual.

City officials said the temporary pump doesn't cost much. They said they have to pay for fuel to keep it running, but the big problem is the overtime they have to pay city workers to keep the pump working.

Officials estimate it will cost the city between $6,000 and $8,000 when it is all over with, just for the temporary pump.

Crews are digging to reach the line. Mayor Mickey Haddock said the deepest point to the line is 20 feet deep.

He said this is a long process.

Haddock also said that although it is a costly repair, he foresees more of these happening around the city because of the old infrastructure.