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Springfield Ambulance becomes part-time Advanced Life Support service

Seeks additional EMTs to join paid volunteer crew

Pictured here are some of the Springfield Ambulance crew. They hope to add at least 5 additional team members.

The Ambulance Service in Springfield has gone through several changes in the past few years and continues to transition to better serve the residents of Springfield by soon becoming a part-time ALS (Advanced Life Support) Ambulance Service.

The Springfield Ambulance Service – primarily staffed by community volunteers – is professionally managed by Allina Health Transportation and is supervised by Paula Thomas, who became director in 2018. Thomas has overseen the challenges wrought by the closure of the hospital in Springfield and a natural churn of volunteers retiring or pursuing other interests.

However, along with the push to become a part-time ALS service has come a renewed drive to recruit new volunteers and the crew is working its way back toward a full complement.

“We have a dedicated group of volunteers that work on the Ambulance Service here in Springfield,” Thomas said. “It is a small but close group of people who have made it their mission to help the residents of the town and the surrounding area in their time of greatest need.”

As a BLS (Basic Life Support) service, the EMT volunteers can give fluids, if needed, and can administer some specific medications to treat residents. The change from a BLS to a part-time ALS service means that they will be able to have paramedics as part of the crew that will have the ability to give cardiac and pain medications. They will have more training and be able to perform advanced life saving measures.

“It’s a very exciting time for the Springfield Ambulance and the community in general,” Thomas said.

Since the emergency room at the Springfield Hospital closed more than a year ago, it has increased the call volume for the Ambulance Service, Thomas said. They generally respond to anywhere from 15 to 35 calls each month.

Those interested in serving as a paid volunteer EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) or EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) on the Springfield Ambulance Service are required to complete a series of classes through the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board. With a promise of two-years of service, the Springfield Ambulance Service will cover 100 percent of the cost of classes, Thomas said.

In early 2021, three additional EMTs completed their training and in May, an additional two EMTs and an EMR completed training. The ambulance service is hoping to add at least five more volunteers to bring the total to a number that would comfortably keep the schedule of volunteers on call rotating smoothly.

To find out more about becoming part of the Springfield Ambulance Service, call or email Paula Thomas at 507-723-3523 or ambulance@springfieldmn.org. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.

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