May 19th through the 25th marks the 50th anniversary of emergency medical services (EMS) week. The theme for EMS 2025 is “Honoring Our Past, Forging Our Future.” EMS has gone through many reforms since their first 9-1-1 call in Alabama in 1969. Ambulances have gone through major transformations as the first ones were actually horse-and-buggy, then upgraded to hearses, and finally the modern-day ambulances you see now. The focus on the importance of prehospital care has evolved just as much as the ambulances have. High-quality prehospital care has proven to better the outcomes for patients.
Current legislation is working on recruitment and retention of EMS staffing due to severe shortages. Ambulance deserts are places or people that are 25 minutes or more away from an ambulance station. 86.4 percent of South Dakota Counties are ambulance deserts! Faulk County is not an exception to this desert nor are they an exception to the shortages of staffing. Faulk county Ambulance Crew includes paramedics, nurses, and EMTs, along with Ambulance Drivers and Faulk Co Sheriff’s department and Fire Department assistance. Faulk Co Ambulance Crew is working on recruiting and retaining EMS staff by sending two of our staff members for training so they can teach EMT classes to assist community members who are interested in serving their community on the Faulk County EMS service. We have added protocols to expand the services our EMS crew can provide prior to arriving at the hospital to improve patient outcomes. If you have any interest in serving your community as part of the Ambulance Crew, please contact Brady Hartung at 605-641-3147.