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24 hour ambulance service a reality
Twenty-four hour ambulance service is now available in Auburn.
After several months of planning, the Auburn Ambulance Squad, with 11 paramedics to choose from, is able to offer ALS
(Advanced Life Support) service, thus 24 hour service. Call 911 or 438-3351.
The Squad has been approved by both St. John's Hospital and the Dept. of Public Health, which are the overseeing
organizations.
To be ALS qualified, an ambulance service must have both a paramedic and an EMT-B on a run, the latter also able to act as a
driver. In major cases, a driver will be on the run which will allow both medical personnel to attend to the injured.
Two of the paramedics, Curt Deming and Al Lewin, are residents of the city and will work out of their homes. The others, who
live in Waverly, Springfield, Riverton, Jacksonville, Virden, etc., will be housed in the city when on duty in Auburn.
Diane Hagemann, Ambulance Squad Coordinator, said that the Squad has two rigs, one to be used as a backup and for things
such as transfers, moving people from one location to another, such as a nursing home to a hospital. Staff will determine the
backup's availability.
With the paramedics in the city, scheduler Robbin Terry says, "We should be able to respond to any Auburn based incident in 3-7
minutes."
The announcement of the 24 hour service comes after the Squad decided to "give it a try," said Terry. "We had two options, try it
or just fold. We decided that we had to see if it will work."
The main ambulance will be housed at the city garage and the backup at fire station No. 1 at Fifth and Washington.
Terry added that the expectant number of runs would approach one a day. As of Tuesday, the fourth day of being in the 24-hour
service, the Squad had answered five calls, two on both Saturday and Sunday and one Tuesday.
Twenty-four hour ambulance service is now available in Auburn.
After several months of planning, the Auburn Ambulance Squad, with 11 paramedics to choose from, is able to offer ALS
(Advanced Life Support) service, thus 24 hour service. Call 911 or 438-3351.
The Squad has been approved by both St. John's Hospital and the Dept. of Public Health, which are the overseeing
organizations.
To be ALS qualified, an ambulance service must have both a paramedic and an EMT-B on a run, the latter also able to act as a
driver. In major cases, a driver will be on the run which will allow both medical personnel to attend to the injured.
Two of the paramedics, Curt Deming and Al Lewin, are residents of the city and will work out of their homes. The others, who
live in Waverly, Springfield, Riverton, Jacksonville, Virden, etc., will be housed in the city when on duty in Auburn.
Diane Hagemann, Ambulance Squad Coordinator, said that the Squad has two rigs, one to be used as a backup and for things
such as transfers, moving people from one location to another, such as a nursing home to a hospital. Staff will determine the
backup's availability.
With the paramedics in the city, scheduler Robbin Terry says, "We should be able to respond to any Auburn based incident in 3-7
minutes."
The announcement of the 24 hour service comes after the Squad decided to "give it a try," said Terry. "We had two options, try it
or just fold. We decided that we had to see if it will work."
The main ambulance will be housed at the city garage and the backup at fire station No. 1 at Fifth and Washington.
Terry added that the expectant number of runs would approach one a day. As of Tuesday, the fourth day of being in the 24-hour
service, the Squad had answered five calls, two on both Saturday and Sunday and one Tuesday.
Issue Date: Aug. 6, 2009
