Everyday heroes
Capital Electric - April 1, 2011
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This cot will soon be replaced by the new power cot provided partially through Operation Round Up grant funds. |
WILTON RURAL AMBULANCE DISTRICT Upgrading with the help of OPERATION ROUND UP
An ambulance is a vital service many of us take for granted, knowing it's always just a 911 call away. We most likely don't consider the dedication it takes from a crew that must be ready to save lives when that call comes in. One challenge crews face, especially in smaller towns like Wilton, is they are mostly staffed by volunteers, many of which commute from nearby towns.
The Wilton Rural Ambulance District was started in 1977 by a group of volunteers who took a first aid course, collected funds door-to-door, bought an ambulance and started taking calls. Leann Domonoske-Kellar, ambulance coordinator, says the district responds to around 100 emergency calls each year.
"We rely on 21 volunteers to operate, half of whom are from out of the Wilton area. They come to Wilton, stay here and take calls. Without them we couldn't do it," she explains.
Leann is the only full-time paid staff person and has been serving as ambulance coordinator since 2005. The volunteers who make up the ambulance crew are paid a small stipend per hour through a North Dakota Department of Health staffing grant. The district's meager budget does not provide for funding for equipment purchases and upgrades.
For a rural ambulance district, grants and donations fill the gap when government funding is being scaled back. Leann says one upgrade the district needed to make was purchasing a power cot to prevent volunteers from suffering back injuries. A power cot is a tool which allows responders to load a patient near the ground and raise the cot with the push of a button.
Familiar with Capital Electric's Operation Round Up program, Leann applied for a grant to help in the purchase of a new cot. The five board members who make up the Charitable Trust assessed the district's need and the people it serves, and agreed the request was worthy of a grant.
Along with the Operation Round Up grant, the district received additional funding through other grants and donations, as well as a local American Legion pancake and sausage fundraiser. Leann estimates the district now has raised enough money to purchase the cot, which will cost about $13,000.
"We are very appreciative," Leann relays.
The Wilton ambulance crew does a lot with the resources they have. Leann says she is amazed at the generosity of people who are always willing to help with donations of time and money. It's just another testament to the hearts of small town folks in North Dakota.