Rural Marshall County community expanding EMS service

LATER IN THIS NEWSCAST. NEW AT SIX AS SOME OF IOWA’S EMS DEPARTMENTS ARE STRUGGLING TO STAY OPERATIONAL, ONE SMALL COMMUNITY IN MARSHALL COUNTY IS DOUBLING DOWN ON THEIR SERVICE. KCCI BEAU BOWMAN IS IN GILMAN TO EXPLAIN THEIR DEPARTMENT’S EFFORT TO GROW AND SAVE LIVES. MOST RURAL IOWA COMMUNITIES THE SIZE OF 500 PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY SCALING BACK THEIR EMS PROGRAMS, BUT HERE IN GILMAN, THEY’RE ACTUALLY EXPANDING THEIRS. THIS IS GILMAN’S NEWEST AMBULANCE, JUST PURCHASED LAST JULY. IT’S ONE OF TWO THAT THE DEPARTMENT OWNED. BUT RIGHT NOW, EMS CHIEF JESSICA CHICHAK AND HER STAFF CAN’T USE THEM TO DRIVE PATIENTS TO THE HOSPITAL. WE’RE FIRST ON SCENE. TYPICALLY, BUT WE CAN’T TRANSPORT OUR PATIENTS, SO WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR A DIFFERENT AMBULANCE TO COME PICK THEM UP. WAITING WITH PEOPLE IN NEED UNTIL AN AMBULANCE CAN DRIVE FROM MARSHALLTOWN OR TAMA TO PICK THEM UP. PRECIOUS TIME CAN BE LOST. WE WERE STILL WAITING MAYBE 20 30 MINUTES. I THINK WE’VE HAD TO WAIT ON A DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT. IT WAS A REALLY, REALLY BUSY NIGHT. WE HAD TO WAIT ABOUT 45 MINUTES FOR AN AMBULANCE TO GET TO US. THAT’S WHY CHICHAK IS HOPING TO UPGRADE THEIR SQUAD AND BECOME A TRANSPORTING DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. THEY’LL HAVE TO PUT IN SOME NEW POLICIES FIRST AND HAVE THEIR AMBULANCES INSPECTED BY THE STATE. OUR HOPE IS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE 24 SEVEN AND ADD ON THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH A FULL SERVICE EMS DEPARTMENT, AND IT CAN BE A HEAVY BURDEN ON A RURAL IOWA CITY BUDGET. BUT CHICHAK SAYS IT’S WORTH IT, ESPECIALLY AS THEIR NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES LOSE ACCESS TO EMERGENCY CARE. SHE SAYS THE DEPARTMENTS THAT CAN SHOULD WE HAD TO KIND OF DECIDE IF WE WANTED TO LET IT GO AND ADD AND NOT PROVIDE SUCH AN AMAZING SERVICE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, OR WE NEEDED TO JUMP IN WITH BOTH FEET. IN GILMAN BEAU BOWMAN KCCI EIGHT NEWS, IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. CHICHAK SAYS THEY HOPE TO BE ABLE TO TRANSPORT PATIENTS WITHIN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS. THEY ARE ACCEPTING DONATIONS TO HELP OFFSET SOME OF THE COSTS. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN DONATING, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO

Most rural Iowa communities the size of 500 people are probably scaling back their EMS programs, but in Gilman, they're expanding.The Gilman Fire and EMS Department just bought its newest ambulance last July.It's one of two that the department owns, but right now EMS Chief Jessica Cecak and her staff can't use them to drive patients to the hospital because they're not a transporting department."We're first on scene typically but we can't transport our patients so we have to wait for an ambulance to come pick them up," Cecak said.They have to wait with people in need until an ambulance can drive from Marshalltown or Tama to pick them up. Cecak says precious time can be lost."We were still waiting 20 to 30 minutes, I think. We had to wait on a different department on a really really busy night, we had to wait about 45 minutes for an ambulance to get to us," Cecak said.That's why the Gilman department with eight licensed EMS volunteers is hoping to upgrade their squad and become a transporting department within the next few months. They'll have to put some new policies in place first and have their ambulances inspected by the state. Add on the costs associated with a full-service EMS department, and it can be a heavy burden on rural Iowa city budgets.But Cecak says it's worth it, especially as their neighboring communities lose access to emergency care. She says the departments that can, should. They are accepting donations to help offset some of the costs.If you're interested in donating, you can reach out to the Gilman Fire and EMS Department on Facebook.

GILMAN, Iowa —

Most rural Iowa communities the size of 500 people are probably scaling back their EMS programs, but in Gilman, they're expanding.

The Gilman Fire and EMS Department just bought its newest ambulance last July.

It's one of two that the department owns, but right now EMS Chief Jessica Cecak and her staff can't use them to drive patients to the hospital because they're not a transporting department.

"We're first on scene typically but we can't transport our patients so we have to wait for an ambulance to come pick them up," Cecak said.

They have to wait with people in need until an ambulance can drive from Marshalltown or Tama to pick them up. Cecak says precious time can be lost.

"We were still waiting 20 to 30 minutes, I think. We had to wait on a different department on a really really busy night, we had to wait about 45 minutes for an ambulance to get to us," Cecak said.

That's why the Gilman department with eight licensed EMS volunteers is hoping to upgrade their squad and become a transporting department within the next few months.

They'll have to put some new policies in place first and have their ambulances inspected by the state. Add on the costs associated with a full-service EMS department, and it can be a heavy burden on rural Iowa city budgets.

But Cecak says it's worth it, especially as their neighboring communities lose access to emergency care. She says the departments that can, should.

They are accepting donations to help offset some of the costs.

If you're interested in donating, you can reach out to the Gilman Fire and EMS Department on Facebook.

Rural Marshall County community expanding EMS service

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