There are only nine EMTs on the Three Forks Area Ambulance team to service more than 500 square miles of land.
“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.”
As of March 29, there are no EMTs local to Three Forks which can make responding to calls a challenge. AMR and local agencies, such as Central Valley, assist to help on calls; however, Mutter says that having a larger team local to the area would go a long way.
“We have ambulances, we have a nice station, we have medical equipment, what we’re lacking is people,” Mutter said.
Mutter says that one reason that too few volunteers are coming through the door revolves around the high cost 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."
Colleen Hudspeth joined the team in September and has previous medical training as a combat lifesaver in the army.
“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.”
