The Arkansas Valley Ambulance service in Fremont County will use the $70,013 grant award from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (EDPHE) to purchase two new state-of-the-art LifePak defibrillators, transport ventilators, and several safety items to raise the quality of care to their rural patients.
New radios, pagers and repeater equipment will allow improvements in communications between the ambulance service and Salida Dispatch.
“Radio communications is a problem because of the mountains and valleys in our service area. The signal is often blocked causing radio dead zones. The new repeater equipment will eliminate some of these trouble spots,” said Communications Supervisor Skip Moreau.
Matching funds for this grant were raised with donations from the community. Arkansas Valley Ambulance, which has been serving the area for 29 years, receives no tax money or support from the Fremont County government.
Safety for the patients and the volunteer EMTs and drivers was another component of the grant monies awarded. Restraining devices for patient being rescued and transported, carbon monoxide detectors and Insta-Chains will also be purchased.
“Treating and transporting patients involved in highway accidents puts our personnel at risk,” said Ambulance Supervisor Mark Rowland. “This grant will allow us to buy high visibility clothing for our EMTs and drivers and have high visibility markings put on our older ambulances.”
Arkansas Valley Ambulance has grant money available to send western Fremont County residents to Pueblo Community College to become EMTs in exchange for volunteering on the service for a period of time. Ambulance drivers are trained by a qualified AVA volunteer. Residents interested in getting involved in any capacity with Arkansas Valley Ambulance can call (719) 942-3423.
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