Ambulance crew faces growing and urgent needs

The Buffalo Center Volunteer Ambulance Corps is looking for new solutions and more volunteers to meet the needs of Buffalo Center and the surrounding communities.

The ambulance crew is currently facing a shortage of volunteers who can respond to calls during the daytime, according to BC VAC vice-president Paul Armstrong. He says they only have four EMTs or first responders who can answer emergency calls between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., and they’re not sure what they’re going to do to remedy the problem. Armstrong notes that former VAC president Tom Holland had to step down recently due to health concerns, and Holland had been a reliable person to respond to those daytime calls.

“We’ve got some awfully big shoes to fill,” said Armstrong.

Many of the VAC volunteers work out of town, which limits the times of day when they’re available to answer calls. Armstrong says it would help if they could get four or five new volunteers who would be willing to take upcoming training classes in Britt. He notes, however, that it will take close to a year for new members to go through training and testing.

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