Prairieland Ambulance Company Serving the Macoupin County Area!

By Cindy Ladage

Prairieland Ambulance Company is a non-profit entity that has been serving the Macoupin County area since 1999.  “Prairieland was incorporated after Sangamac Ambulance dissolved, to keep an ambulance and EMS Service here in Virden,” Jay Fahs, Chief of Operations of the Prairieland Ambulance explained.

“We were strictly a volunteer group until we went fulltime,” Jay said. “Now we have Advanced Life Support Care around the clock.”

To offer advanced life support care, they had to buy equipment, and they added six paramedics to the team “To give us that advance life support.”

Jay said they went from a volunteer group to round the clock support because they knew that the area needed more service than their volunteer group could provide. “We asked for tax money and the community approved it, so now we can offer the best pre-hospital care they can get.  Our hope is that we put local’s minds at ease knowing there is ambulance service available.  This is one of the few communities that citizens support the ambulance like this.”

When asked how he got into Emergency Response service, Jay said, “I started EMT in Chatham in 2009, and worked in Springfield.  I moved here in 2013 and became a board member for the Praireland Board.  John Early took over as President, and I moved over as Chief of Operations.”

The staff for the Prairieland Ambulance service is now comprised of six paramedics and 14 total staff members. Most of the emergency responders are either from Virden, Girard, or Thayer.

Describing the differences between EMT and paramedic duties, Jay said, “Paramedics can do advanced skills like starting an IV and give certain medications. EMT’s can keep a patient well long enough to get to the hospital, but they are limited in what medications they can give.”

“It takes a special kind of person to do EMT,” Jay said.  Emergency Responders see so much, they need to have a calm persona, and be able to handle the cases that come their way.  It also requires very involved training.

Jay Fahs is a paramedic and has been since 2012.  He explained the steps to become a licensed paramedic. “To do this, you must go through a college.  Most of our paramedics went through Lincoln Land Community College.  You need to take a semester of EMT basic classes, then a year of Paramedic classes.  You basically give up a year of your life to become a paramedic.”

Only around 50% of those entering paramedic classes pass and make it to the end. The licensing department for the Paramedic license is through the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The Prairieland Ambulance Company serves the Macoupin County community in several ways. “We go to the high school football games on standby.  We also go to the local churches in town, daycares, Vacation Bible School, and other places to do presentations,” Jay said.

The ambulance service is community minded, and they send the ambulance to participate in local parades as well. The ambulance serves the Macoupin County towns of Virden, Girard, Thayer, Lowder and Nilwood.

They also offer EMT classes and are starting CPR courses for the community. At Prairieland Ambulance, they have two ambulances.  “We inspect them every morning and do preventative maintenance.”

When it comes to servicing the ambulances, Jay said, “We also try as much as possible to stay local.”

Calls to Prairieland Ambulance Company originate from the 911 Call Center for Macoupin County out of Carlinville. When a patient is picked up, Jay said that it is their choice which hospital they take them to.  They frequent St. Johns and Memorial in Springfield, and the hospitals in Litchfield and Carlinville as well.  When there is trauma involved, they take patients to Springfield he said, “Because they have higher level of care.”

Jay shared that it is much safer to call the ambulance when an emergency arises, rather than to drive yourself or a loved one to the hospital.  In instances of heart attack, they have medicine that can help with the pain and open up the blood vessels, and they are prepared to deal with the situation if the patient has a health crisis during transport.

The main reasons they are called is for respiratory, cardiac, and falls.  Other reasons the ambulance service is needed are to transport patients from the nursing home, or in cases when patients are not able to be transported by a regular motor vehicle.  In this instance though Jay said the insurance company must approve the transport.

Each year they receive around 1200 calls, and Jay expects that number to increase this year.  The number of calls depends on the weather and other factors. The Prairieland Ambulance Company accepts donations to buy different equipment.  In the past they offered a pancake and sausage breakfast as their main fund raiser, and they are thinking of implementing it again.

When asked what equipment they use, Jay mentioned that the Lucas Device is a very valuable one that provides chest compressions in instances of cardiac arrest.  “It can give a perfect compression every time,” Jay said.

The Prairieland Ambulance Company is making a difference, saving lives, and bringing comfort that they are there to the residents of Macoupin County.  For more information, check out their Facebook page.