Ambulance service seeks help

or many years, familiar faces including those of Dorothy Barron and Char Delfino have calmed and reassured people in moments of distress as they help transport the wounded and ill to care facilities outside of the Moorcroft area.

However, the time has come for the next generation of volunteers to step up and help the helpers.

Currently, the Moorcroft Ambulance Service has nine active members including EMRs, EMTs, paramedics, drivers and firefighters. National research suggests that volunteer EMS agencies need at least 14 to 20 active members to ensure 24-7-365 emergency call coverage.

Moorcroft EMS responds to an average of 160 to 180 calls for service each year. Moorcroft EMS covers an area of over 1500 square miles and works closely with neighboring communities to ensure quality care is received by the citizens of Moorcroft and eastern Crook County.

Since its creation, the Moorcroft Ambulance Service has relied on the commitment of local volunteers to staff its EMS response. The commitment of those volunteers is unprecedented and greatly appreciated.

However, as the economy changes, many people are finding it harder and harder to volunteer their time amongst working multiple jobs or having two income households.

K.A.R.E. EMS Solutions LLC entered into a formal agreement with Moorcroft in February, on a month-to-month basis with the purpose of helping the town operate its ambulance service in a sustainable manner while ensuring that EMS coverage in Moorcroft is not interrupted.

Rural EMS agencies across America are facing a crisis; volunteers are harder and harder to find and insurance reimbursements for services rendered are less each year, making continued service sustainability more difficult.

Many rural ambulance services are forced to close their doors and EMS is not considered an essential service by Wyoming state law. This means that, unlike law enforcement and fire protection, municipalities and counties have no legal obligation to provide EMS services to their citizens.

Many ambulance services are faced with tough decisions and need to find a way to create more revenue, whether through interfacility transports, increased taxes or selling off their ambulances to bigger organizations that can cover the costs of running the services.

The recent month-to-month contract with K.A.R.E. EMS Solutions LLC, owned by Brad and Alexus McKee, based in Moorcroft, focuses on initial EMS education, EMS operations consultation and training and is an attempt to help Moorcroft Ambulance become sustainable and remain local for years to come.

K.A.R.E. is seeking creative solutions to help fill the void left by traditional volunteers by offering hybrid distance/online initial EMT education courses at discounted rates to make it easier for people to learn how to become EMTs.

The company is looking to the youth of the community with the hope of gaining interest from local high school students and finding ways for them to receive college credit and potentially high school science credit for becoming EMTs. These young adults would be gaining real world experience in the medical field while helping their community. The Wyoming Office of EMS is currently working to reduce the legal age of an EMT from 18 or older to 16 years or older.

This transition will take time, but with the commitment of the current EMS volunteers and the new EMS volunteers, the transition will be successful. K.A.R.E. is seeking any qualified EMS members of the community who are willing to join the ambulance service. They are also looking for people in the community who are interested in learning how to become an EMT or an EMR and drive for the ambulance.

Anyone interested are encouraged to reach out to Brad or Alexus on the K.A.R.E. website, kare-ems-solutions.com or at "K.A.R.E.Solutions" on Facebook.