Whitewater city officials announced Wednesday that the city’s Fire and EMS Department has received its paramedic service license.

According to a news release, the department achieved its licensure after “countless hours of hard work and dedication” from “a team of committed individuals.”

Additionally, the release noted that members of the department are working to procure “necessary supplies,” a “Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number,” and required medications to ensure that the city’s paramedic service can operate at its “full potential.”

A DEA number is assigned by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and allows its bearer to write prescriptions for controlled substances, according to information found online.

The release noted that the department currently is staffed with five licensed paramedics.

Over the next 12 months, the release stated, the department will be transitioning to a “fully operational paramedic service.”