Montana – The Three Forks Area Ambulance crew has just nine EMTs to cover more than 500 square miles of ground.
“Our call volume is rising, last year we ran on about three hundred and fifty calls,” said Barbra Mutter, acting Chief of the Three Forks Area Ambulance. “And this year already, to date right now I believe we are at 54 calls and we’re in March.”
Since there are no EMTs in the area as of March 29, it can be difficult to react to calls. AMR and regional organizations like Central Valley offer assistance on calls, but Mutter believes that having a larger team based nearby would be beneficial.
“We have ambulances, we have a nice station, we have medical equipment, what we’re lacking is people,” Mutter said.
Mutter claims that one factor contributing to the low number of volunteers is the high expense of living in the Gallatin Valley.
“We have to have a medical license to be on our rig—and that takes time education and money,” Mutter said. “We are hosting a class that begins on April 17 through White Line. We have financing available through White Line, we also have some scholarships available—so money should not be a deterrent.”
A combat lifesaver in the army with prior medical training, Colleen Hudspeth joined the squad in September.
“Small-town communities always need help, they always need volunteers,” Hudspeth said. “Originally, I was going to see if I could jump in every now and then with the ambulance and go, but the need is a lot more, so I go more often than I had originally anticipated.”
