With 2nd ambulance in service, Rice Lake Fire Department expands operations

The Rice Lake Fire Department has reached its goal first proposed three years ago of providing an emergency transport service that includes posting an ambulance on standby at local events and transferring patients between medical facilities.

The Fire Department began a sometimes uphill battle to add an ambulance service with two ambulances in May 2021, fielding concerns about operational costs and possibly taking business away from Marshfield Medical Center. A compromise was struck with the purchase of a single ambulance, which went into service on Nov. 9, 2022, with the understanding that MMC would continue as the community’s primary provider.

Within 12 hours of its activation, the Fire Department’s new ambulance was called into action.

The service has been faring well enough that a second ambulance was acquired earlier this year, giving the Fire Department the ability to expand services and ensure that at least one ambulance is available should the other be under repair or in maintenance.

One of the two new services the Fire Department added to its operational plan on Wednesday was the ability to post an ambulance on site at a local event should an emergency arise.

Fire Chief Mike Hover informed the City Council recently that the director of Birchwood Ambulance service, which is providing standby services at Rice Lake Speedway’s 22 races this year, approached him and MMC about sharing responsibilities.

Hover thought it would be a good idea for the Rice Lake Ambulance to have a presence at the Speedway and other local events. The Fire Department can’t take all of the races because that would strain personnel resources, the fire chief said, but he would like to take some of them.

Besides manning the Speedway, the ambulance also could stand by at events such as the rodeo and snowmobile races, but Hover emphasized that the Fire Department doesn’t reach out to events in a bid to win the contract.

The second of the two services now available involves transporting patients among medical facilities throughout northwestern Wisconsin, including Cumberland, Spooner and Hayward. With the Fire Department able to provide transport, the time patients spend waiting to be transferred could be reduced.

If Rice Lake is called to do a transfer, the department has the opportunity to check on the patient’s insurance and can decline if off-duty personnel is not available within 30 minutes, Hover said.

Despite the expansion in the Fire Department’s emergency transport services, Hover emphasized that MMC remains Rice Lake’s primary ambulance service and said they enjoyed a positive relationship.

Dr. Brandon Parkhurst, MMC’s vice president of medical affairs for the Rice Lake region, portrayed the collaboration between the medical provider and Fire Department as a win for the community.

“We feel like the relationship is good, and we welcome the collaboration and additional support for the community and for the individuals that live in the community,” Parkhurst said.

Rice Lake Fire Department’s addition of ambulance services within its fire district started to take the burden off EMTs countywide from the start, Hover said, noting that Barron hasn’t had to respond to the city as often.

“They used to come here a whole 150-some times a year,” Hover said. “I think they’ve now been here a couple of times.”

And so far the service is paying for itself.

Since beginning operations, new revenues have offset expenditures by about $8,700, Hover said, noting the Fire Department is not out to make money but be there for the community.