Everyone welcome to attend "Crisis in EMS" presentation in Elkader March 6

A presentation on "Crisis in EMS" is scheduled to be held Tuesday, March 6 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Keystone Area Education Agency (AEA) Building D, located at 1400 North Second Street in Elkader. Entitled “Where you live should not determine IF you live in a medical emergency," the presentation will be facilitated by Bremer County Emergency Management Coordinator and EMT Kip Ladage and Bremer County EMS Association President Jim Schutte with a focus on the crisis in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) that is occurring all over Iowa.

“EMS in rural Iowa is at a critical point," Ladage shared. "Across the state there are EMS agencies struggling to provide care. We can no longer assure staffing at all times. Most citizens assume an ambulance will arrive when 911 is called. That may not be the case. EMS is not considered an essential service in Iowa and there is no requirement that any ambulance service must operate. Where staffing and funding are inadequate, EMS agencies are closing their doors.”

“There are times, especially during the work day, that many EMS agencies in a county are not able to respond," Schutte added. "As a result, people must wait for an ambulance to arrive from other communities. Sometimes the wait can be long and the end result may not be good. Our volunteers are doing the best they can, but the situation is going to get worse.”

This presentation is being hosted by Allamakee County Emergency Management, Clayton County Emergency Management and Delaware County Emergency Management. Everyone is invited to attend, especially elected officials at the local, state and federal levels, EMS personnel, firefighters, law enforcement, dispatchers, Emergency Management, businesses, and anyone who may have a need for emergency medical services for themselves or those they care about.

For more information locally, contact Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker at 563-568-4233 or at csnitker@co.allamakee.ia.us.