Boyceville ambulance reaches 99 percent coverage with 2 EMTs on duty
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COMMENDATION — Kevin Zebro, representing VFW 10424 of Wheeler, presented a certificate of commendation to Boyceville EMT Desirae Laursen at the June 14 meeting of the Boyceville Community Ambulance District Board for her community service. In addition to serving as an EMT and her extensive list of community service accomplishments, Laursen has recruited eight other people for the ambulance service at a time when additional people were desperately needed. —photo by LeAnn R. Ralph
By LeAnn R. Ralph
BOYCEVILLE — It has been a long haul over the past two years, but the Boyceville Community Ambulance Service has reached the point of coverage with two EMTs on duty 99 percent of the time.
Wayne Dow, ambulance service director, reported on the coverage hours at the June 14 quarterly meeting of the Boyceville Community Ambulance District Board.
Out of the whole month of May, there were only eight hours when there was one EMT on duty, Dow said.
With eight hours of one person on duty, that translates into two people on duty 99 percent of the time, he said.
Two years ago, after a mass resignation of EMTs because the ambulance district board hired someone other than the person the EMTs desired as a director, the ambulance service had one person on duty at the ambulance station for perhaps 70 or 80 percent of the time.
After Desirae Laursen stepped up and became a certified Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), duty coverage began to improve for the Boyceville ambulance service.
Under state law, the ambulance can transport a patient if the EMR is the driver and the EMT attends to the patient. If there is only one EMT on duty, the ambulance can respond to give first aid but cannot transport the patient.
Laursen has since obtained EMT certification and has recruited eight other people for the ambulance service.
June
At the time of the June 14 meeting, there had been 3.25 hours when there was one EMT on duty, Dow reported.
So far, June is looking almost 100 percent, he said.
“The last couple of months have been very good,” Dow said.
One board member asked if that was because the college students had returned.
The Boyceville ambulance service has several EMTs who go away for college, but when they are home on vacations or for summer break, they serve as EMTs at the Boyceville station.
More new hires have been signing up for shifts, and some of the older members have been picking up more shifts, Dow said.
The Boyceville ambulance service now has three EMRs, 10 EMTs, and five advanced EMTs/paramedics for a total of 18 members, he said.
Three of the members are inactive: one has some family issues, another is working much of the time at the Colfax Rescue Squad and one will be dropping off the roster, Dow said.
One EMT was added to the roster the week of the meeting, one EMR is transitioning into an EMT, and three others are completing their EMR certification, another person is currently in class and one person will be taking the summer class, he said, noting that three basic EMTs on the roster will be taking advanced EMT classes, he said.
Call volume
So far this year, the ambulance service has gone out on 94 calls, with 24 calls in May and nine in June as of the June 14 meeting, Dow said.
Out of the 33 calls, Boyceville transported 21 patients, two resulted in intercepts with another ambulance service for pain, the Boyceville service provided mutual aid for Dallas, for Menomonie for the fatality on I-94 and mutual aid for Clear Lake, he said.
In addition there were four standbys for fire, including calls for Boyceville, Menomonie and Glenwood City and one was cancelled, Dow said.
Other information
Dow also reported:
• The Stryker cot that will be paid for with grant money from the state is expected to be delivered by the end of the month.
• Review of the Lexipol emergency services policies to be adopted by the Boyceville ambulance service is in Phase 4 with Phase 5 in July and completion of the process in August.
• The Medicare cost analysis has been finished. The report includes revenue and expenses, and the results of the reports from all ambulance services will be used to show why Medicare must be reimbursed at a higher rate. As the population ages, more of the calls by ambulance services are reimbursed by Medicare, except that Medicare covers only part of the cost of providing the service, leaving the ambulance service in the position of trying to figure out how to cover the remainder of the cost.
• Money to the ambulance service from the Funding Assistance Program has been delayed because the state must find a new coordinator.
• The Girl Scouts came to the Boyceville station the day before the ambulance district meeting for CPR training.
• The Boyceville ambulance service will be at the Dunn County Dairy Breakfast in the Town of New Haven on June 24 and will participate in the Boyceville Public Library’s Touch-a-Truck event July 6.
• The Boyceville ambulance service participated in the active shooter drill held in Colfax and also worked on safety plans, evacuation plans and weather event plans.
The Boyceville Community Ambulance District Board meets next on September 13 at the Boyceville fire station at 7 p.m. or immediately following the fire district meeting.
Fire district
The Boyceville Community Fire District Board held the June 14 quarterly meeting immediately before the ambulance board meeting.
Boyceville Fire Chief Matt Lunderville reported:
• Boyceville fire has gone out on 18 calls so far this year, with 12 calls occurring since the last meeting. The calls included mutual aid to Menomonie for the fatality on I-94; a structure fire in New Haven; a power pole fire in the Town of Sherman; standby for Menomonie; mutual aid to Menomonie for a structure fire; mutual aid to Glenwood City for a structure fire; a traffic accident in the Town of Tiffany; Boyceville car fire; an accident in Wheeler; a vehicle fire in the Town of Stanton; mutual aid for another Menomonie structure fire; and a traffic accident in New Haven.
• Boyceville responded to the fire in the Town of New Haven that resulted in a fatality and provided mutual aid for Glenwood City on a fire that resulted in a fatality. Debriefing sessions were available for all firefighters who wanted to participate.
• Boyceville fire assisted with controlled burns for the prairie garden at Tiffany Creek Elementary and assisted Glenwood City with a controlled burn.
• Boyceville fire will be doing community service at the dairy breakfast on June 24 and for the Boyceville library’s Touch-a-Truck event.
• The new pickup truck that was ordered some time ago has been delivered but needs a radio and lights installed before it can be put into service.
The Boyceville Community Fire District Board meets next on September 13 at the Boyceville fire station at 6:30 p.m.
