Gallia County EMS

06/21/2026

Happy Father's Day to all of the incredible dads and father figures in our community. We hope you get to relax and celebrate with your family this weekend!

06/18/2026

Gallia County EMS is pleased to announce an upcoming Advance EMT Class, commencing in August. Please refer to the attached flyer for detailed information.

06/18/2026

TORNADO WARNING

https://inws.ncep.noaa.gov/a/a.php?i=129331389

06/07/2026

Thank you to Healthnet 2 for the assist yesterday!

06/06/2026

CPR & AED Awareness Week

This week is CPR & AED Awareness Week, a time to recognize the critical role that early intervention plays in saving lives during sudden cardiac arrest.

Last month, Jordan Shank, Paramedic and EMS Instructor with Gallia County EMS, attended the Resuscitation Academy course hosted by Delaware County EMS. This intensive two-day program focused on proven strategies to improve cardiac arrest survival rates within local communities.

Topics included:
• Early recognition of cardiac arrest by community members
• Immediate bystander CPR
• 911 dispatchers providing CPR instructions to callers
• High-quality, organized resuscitation efforts by EMS providers
• Building a coordinated community response to cardiac arrest

As part of the program, participants completed a Train-the-Trainer course, equipping them to return home and share these lifesaving practices with local residents, dispatch personnel, and EMS providers.

Survival from cardiac arrest depends on a strong Chain of Survival. When community members, dispatchers, first responders, and healthcare professionals work together, lives can be saved.

Gallia County EMS looks forward to bringing this valuable training back to our community and continuing efforts to improve cardiac arrest outcomes throughout our region.
Why is this important?

For every minute that a person remains in cardiac arrest without CPR, their chance of survival decreases by approximately 10%. After just 10 minutes without intervention, survival becomes unlikely. Unfortunately, Gallia County covers a large geographic area, and EMS response times in some locations may exceed 10 minutes.

This is where bystander CPR becomes critical. Early CPR helps circulate oxygen-rich blood to the brain and vital organs, buying precious time until EMS arrives and significantly increasing the chances of survival.

How can you help?
Learn CPR and how to use an AED.
Gallia County EMS plans to offer free community CPR and AED awareness classes throughout the county. These will not be full certification courses and no CPR card will be issued. Instead, these brief classes are designed to teach the basic skills needed to potentially save a life.

We hope to offer these hands-on demonstrations at community events such as First Friday, the Gallia County Fair, football games, and other local gatherings.

Many people are hesitant to perform CPR because they worry about hurting someone or feel uncomfortable providing mouth-to-mouth ventilations. Fortunately, research has shown that in the first several minutes following a sudden cardiac arrest, continuous chest compressions alone can make a significant difference.

That is why Hands-Only CPR is now widely taught for bystander response. If someone suddenly collapses and is unresponsive, call 911 and begin continuous chest compressions until help arrives.

If you would like to learn more about CPR, AEDs, or upcoming community classes, please contact Gallia County EMS through this page.

Remember: If someone suddenly collapses and is unresponsive, call 911, start CPR, and use an AED if one is available.

Your actions can save a life.

06/06/2026

This evening, Medic 94 and Medic 95 attended “First Friday” in Gallipolis. Crews talked to the public about hands only CPR, the LUCAS device, and supported local business.

06/04/2026

ATV tragedies affect everyone, especially our first responders and EMS. Please take a moment to read Sheriff Matt Champlin's message and remember ATV safety!

Dear Parents,

I want to take a moment to address some concerns that have been shared from various areas across our county. These concerns are not coming from a place of criticism, but from a genuine desire to protect the most important part of all of our lives—our children.

Summer is here, and it’s great to see kids outside enjoying fresh air, being active, and staying engaged in their communities instead of being stuck indoors on electronic devices. In our rural area, many families also have ATVs, four-wheelers, side-by-sides, and dirt bikes. For many children, these vehicles provide recreation, responsibility, and even assistance with daily chores.

However, we continue to receive reports of juveniles operating these vehicles on public roadways, often without regard for their own safety or the safety of others. We’ve all been young once, and most of us can remember feeling invincible at that age—but experience tells a different story.

To be direct: your child’s safety is our highest priority. I know it is yours as well. None of us ever expect something tragic to happen, but part of protecting our kids means setting boundaries—even when those boundaries are inconvenient or unpopular.

Allowing juveniles to operate ATVs and similar vehicles on public roadways is not a safe practice. Traffic today is heavier, faster, and more unpredictable than ever before, and the risks are significant.

Ohio law clearly outlines where and how these vehicles may be operated. I encourage all parents and guardians to take a few minutes to review those laws and make informed decisions. But the bottom line remains simple—public roadways are not a safe place for children on these vehicles.

This message comes not from a desire to take away enjoyment, but from firsthand experience responding to far too many preventable injuries involving young riders.

In closing, I understand opinions will differ. Some will agree, some will disagree, and others will scroll past without a second thought. That’s part of public dialogue. But my position remains unchanged:

I care deeply about the safety of our children. As a parent and as someone who has dedicated years to public service in this county, I want nothing more than to see them grow up safe, healthy, and supported.

Enjoy your summer, be safe, and take care of one another.

Sheriff Champlin