Friday, March 3rd 2017, 6:26 pm
For the first time, the city of Yukon is switching ambulance services. Starting on Sunday at 8:00 a.m., Samaritan Emergency Medical Services will be taking over.
Randy Herrin is the owner of Samaritan. He said, “In a true medical emergency, minute and even seconds count.”
Herrin said his company has already moved to a building in Yukon and they will be based five minutes away from the main fire station. There will be two ambulances dedicated to city residents. He said each truck will be manned with one paramedic and one EMT, possibly even two paramedics.
“We firmly believe that where you live shouldn’t determine if you live,” said Herrin.
Fire Chief Kevin Jones said his city of 25,000 people need this.
“That is a major thing for us,” said Jones.
Jones said for as long as he can remember, the city has been working with EMSA, but there was no ambulance dedicated only to Yukon residents. He said only one ambulance was assigned and it wasn’t necessarily within city limits. He said waiting on an ambulance could take 15 to 20 minutes or more when minutes can make a big difference.
“If you have somebody stop breathing and someone with cardiac arrest, you need someone there immediately,” said Jones, “If you have a major bleed or any kind of major trauma, you need people there immediately.”
He believes the people of Yukon will see a big difference with Samaritan Emergency Medical Services.
“We should be several minutes faster. I’ll put it that way,” said Jones.
In the coming weeks, Samaritan will be hosting an open house for Yukon residents to learn more about their services.
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