GEARY – The board of the Geary 522 ambulance district voted last Tuesday, Aug. 17 to make Pafford EMS the area’s full-time ambulance provider beginning Nov. 25.
Pafford is currently providing interim services for the district after the board dismissed Medic West late last month.
Cody McPherson, Geary’s emergency management director and a member of its 522 board, told The Geary Star that the agreement is worth $21,000 per month. He said Pafford crews are certified to provide Advanced Life Support, or ALS, meaning there is a paramedic on every crew. Previously Geary crews were certified only at Basic Life Support, or BLS, meaning the highest certified crew member was an EMT.
"There is a lot of life-saving and stabilizing things that a paramedic can do that an EMT can't," McPherson said. "Our main reason for that is being so far out (from the city) — that gives our EMS more tools to help treat and stabilize a patient."
The 522 board heard presentations from Pafford and another EMS provider bidding for Geary's contract before deciding on Pafford. McPherson said Pafford will be participating in the upcoming Geary Tri-County Fair on Sept. 10 and 11.