Powder River Examiner -

Earlier this summer, the county took over the ambulance service from Jesse Ambulance Service, following Dick Jesse’s retirement. With the service now under county control, an Ambulance Director was hired to oversee the transition process, assure the ambulance program adhered to federal and state guidelines, administer personnel, and a host of other tasks. Shane Copps took the position, but resigned late last week, leaving the position open and the future of the ambulance service in question.

We sat down with the commissioners to discuss the state of the ambulance service in Powder River County.

Commissioner Lee Randall commented that the ambulance service is still up and running and calls for the ambulance will be filled, though it may take some calling around to find EMTs to fill all the voids in scheduling.

The commissioners noted that they are working with the Powder River First Responders on scheduling and moving to an “on call” setup for EMTs, as well as using a rented house for EMTs from the rural parts of the county to use while they are on call. Additionally, the First Responders are looking to encourage more training for their EMTs, Randall commented “If there are some folks who want to be Advanced EMTs, the county will pay for the training.”