The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

, 2008

Grays River gets new ambulance

Saturday was a fine day for celebrating with Fire District #3 and the Grays River Ambulance Service. A new ambulance was delivered to the EMS crew at the Grays River station. It’s a beauty with all the latest amenities. The new rig will be outfitted and on the job within the next 30 days.

The Wahkiakum County Emergency Medical Services Council provides management for the entire county and provides funding for new equipment and vehicles on a rotation basis, with county taxes collected through our EMS levy. Grays River is scheduled to receive a new unit every six years.

Fire District #3 and Grays River Ambulance Service provides the west end of the county with emergency medical service and advanced life support care, from the top of KM mountain, west to the Pacific county line in Naselle. Patients are transported to Columbia Memorial, Ocean Beach or St. John Hospitals when necessary.

The station is manned by volunteers, with two of the 17 EMTs specifically on call every day, and in contact with all the other volunteers by radio. These folks are to be commended for giving of their time and the effort they have put into this job. Back in 2002 the EMT program was in dire straights and the community really stepped up to the plate by graduating a large class of EMTs and adding to the former force of less than a half dozen. Another class was graduated in 2005, bringing the total number of today's active EMTs to 17.

Fire District #3 and the Ambulance service is always looking for a few more good men/women. They meet on the first and third Thursday of each month. If you are interested in being a volunteer fireman or an EMT, that’s where you should start. You would need to be familiar with what goes on before taking the big plunge. It is possible to be a part of the fire department without being an EMT and vice versa. All of your gear is provided including clothing, boots, radios, etc. through the departments. EMT training is quite a commitment, as it takes many hours of training, but that is also provided free of charge.

Should you be interested in pursuing either of these volunteer positions, contact Larry Hicks, Assistant Chief for the Fire Department or Joel Fitts, Assistant Chief for the Ambulance Service. The district would like to get an EMT class going for this coming winter, so now is the time to check it out, get familiar with the routine, ask questions, and join in on discussions at the meetings.

A big thank-you goes out to the Wahkiakum West Telephone Company, for all their support to the fire and ambulance personnel. They have provided new gear and clothing for the graduating EMT classes, as well as supporting the efforts of all the volunteers. This community is very fortunate to have such a generous and involved business with the goal of making things work in our community.