Twin Bridge Rescue Squad is flourishing

TOWN OF STEPHENSON — In its 31st year of operation, the Twin Bridge Rescue Squad is continuing to evolve, squad leadership say, with a growing roster, increased training, full time staff, new medical direction and more to come from the department.

Alex Tisler, the president of Twin Bridge Rescue Squad, and Elaine Olson, the vice president, have been reflecting on how far the department has come. After making a change to the service’s medical direction, a huge step for the squad, Tisler and Olson have been looking ahead to new development for the department, and looking back at how far the squad has come.

Twin Bridge was founded in 1993, as a branch of Wausaukee Rescue. Olson said the town of Stephenson offered the service a place for a squad and office space in the town hall. Olson said she joined the service in 1995, and has been serving ever since.

“I believe there were 10 people that originally started it, then once they started, they just continued to ask people to join,” Olson said. “Shortly after that we went out on our own.”

The squad incorporated as its own service in 2003. At that time, Olson said, there wasn’t a shortage of volunteers.

Like many EMS in the state of Wisconsin and surrounding states, Twin Bridge experienced a volunteer shortage in the last few years. With only a handful of volunteers left, two EMTs would be on 24-hour shifts, Olson said.

“It was very scary for a while, when we were down to like four people,” Olson said. “How long can we continue to do this before we burn out?”

In 2022, squad leadership approached the town of Stephenson, who graciously chose to fund the hiring of two full-time EMTs, Tisler said, to offset the strain on volunteers and allow for more coverage.

Since then, the roster of volunteers has grown massively, and the support of two full-time EMTs and one part-time EMT has helped the schedule stay full, Tisler said. Tisler is one of two full-time EMTs, and also serves on Coleman’s EMS.

“Now we’re doing great as far as coverage goes,” Tisler said. “We can cover our own area and we’re also helping out other squads.”

Now, the service has 17 EMTs total, 3 EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) and 10 drivers.

“To see that now having hired some people, and our town stepping up to help us with that, we’re in super good shape,” Olson said. “It does your heart good to know that you can actually do that for your community and keep it growing.”

“We’re always looking for more people,” Tisler said. “We’re a great little crew of people, we really care about each other, we’ll help each other out as much as we can.”

“We have quite an age range, but everyone gets along great, we work together. Our youngest is 19, I think our oldest member right now is 79. We get along really well with each other,” Tisler added.

The squad staffs one ambulance 24/7/365, and often has enough staff to staff a second ambulance, if there are double calls. Tisler said the squad rarely if ever has to turn down a call due to staffing now.

Olson added that the squad will pay for training for people interested in joining, and Tisler said people can learn more by calling the station at 715-757-2682.

In addition to making progress on staffing in the last two years, the squad has made improvements to its operations, and changed up its policies.

Most recently, the squad changed its medical direction, or the hospital that oversees the medical practices of the squad, from Aurora Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette to HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls.

Tisler said the squad had long received its medical direction from Aurora Bay, and had a great experience working with that hospital, he said. The choice to switch medical direction came out of a desire to give patients more options about hospitals they could visit.

Squad leadership decided this year to change medical direction in order to have more options for where patients could be transported. Before, the squad was limited to a handful of hospitals it could transport patients to. Now, with the change in medical direction, emergency responders can pick from eight different hospitals, including in Oconto Falls, Marinette and Green Bay, to transport patients to. If patients have preferences, and are stable, staff can now honor those preferences, Tisler said, or go directly to hospitals that have equipment needed to treat certain kind of conditions, without making any stops.

“We’re always trying to see what’s best as far as our protocols, and see what works best for our patients,” Tisler said.

And, the hospital has shouldered the cost of paying the squad’s medical director, Dr. Salmi, instead of passing that cost on to the squad.

Also recently, the squad signed a paramedic intercept agreement, so paramedics from Oconto Falls with more clearance to do more procedures can meet Twin Bridge in the field with critical patients.

Olson said Tisler has brought on a high-ranking trainer to the squad, helping first responders evolve in their training.

And in 2022, the squad purchased a home about two miles from the station, so volunteers who are on call have a place to stay with their families between calls. Tisler said many volunteers live in other communities, and have to travel up to an hour in order to volunteer for Twin Bridge. He said it was important to squad leadership to give them a comfortable place to stay and a place where they could bring their families.

Tisler and Olson said there are many things for the Twin Bridge Rescue Squad to look forward to.

The department is gearing up to train eight EMTs as advanced EMTs, a step up from their current certifications which would allow them to administer IVs in the field, and do more involved care in transit.

Wisconsin passed a law a few years ago allowing EMS departments to respond to calls that require a higher level of care if staff on shift at that department is trained to that level. Twin Bridge is currently certified as an EMT-basic level. But after EMTs receive the advanced training this fall, the department will be able to flex to different calls.

The department could have “eight A-EMTs at the start of the new year,” Tisler said. “Another tool in the tool box for us.”

“That is really a step forward,” Olson added.

The squad is also looking forward to getting a much-needed replacement to its ambulance. The current ambulance has a chassis that was built in 2008, and a box even older than that, that needs replacing.

The squad is gearing up for that purchase by kicking off a fundraising campaign, due to the rising costs of emergency vehicles in recent years, since supply chain shortages in 2020. A new ambulance will likely cost the squad around $300,000.

The squad is preparing for its third-annual Labor Day pancake breakfast, which will include breakfast, and tons of raffles.

There will also be a fundraiser at Gateway Bar and Grill in Crivitz, with a meat raffle and other raffle prizes.

And, there will be a fundraiser on July 5 at Woody’s Bar and Grill, where the squad will be selling burgers.

Tisler and Olson said that the overall support and kind words from the community have been moving over the years.

“We wouldn’t be able to still run if it wasn’t for them,” Tisler said. “Not just the people who live here, but the people who just have cabins here, or rent a place up here… It’s really great.”

“It’s good when you have crews that can actually get along with each other and work well with each other. And right now we really do have that,” Olson said.