Keystone Ambulance Service

04/05/2026

From all of us at Keystone Ambulance, Happy Easter!

03/15/2026

Keystone Ambulance District
Annual Meeting Agenda
Monday March 16, 2026
6:00 PM
Keystone Ambulance Station

Call Meeting to Order:

Meeting Minutes:

Financial Report:

Old Business: Ambulance Repairs
Ambulance Service Status

New Business: Ambulance Service Annual Report
Eastern Custer County Ambulance Response

Election: Two Director Positions
Election of Officers of the Board:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary/Treasurer

Set Next Meeting for July 2026

02/18/2026

Having seen first hand how the insurance companies can have different “allowed” rates depending on the provider this is a huge step in the right direction to ensure continued sustainability of EMS in South Dakota!

ACT NOW: Support SB 211! 🚨
Ambulance services save lives every day, but many EMS providers struggle to cover costs due to low reimbursement from private insurance. SB 211 ensures fair payment, helping EMS agencies maintain equipment, staff, and 24/7 care—especially in rural communities.

📝 Take action: Contact your legislator today and ask them to vote YES on SB 211! Your voice matters!

Learn more and find your legislator 👉 https://sdlegislature.gov/

11/02/2025

Congrats to our Assistant Director Margaret for being selected as the South Dakota Instructor Coordinator Society Instructor of the Year!

10/10/2025

Congrats to all of the class, especially to our staff member Gideon! Do great things!

08/05/2025

So yesterday was a pretty busy day for us and to top it off we had our second ambulance have some mechanical issues resulting in it needing to be taken out of service. While it is never a good time to be down a truck, this week is probably the worst week for it to happen. Thanks to our friends with Rapid City Fire Department we are back up in service with two ambulances until we can get our other one fixed and back in service! Neigbors helping neighbors that's for sure!

07/16/2025

All emergency response agencies in the Black Hills have the same message today. Seeing how we have had four rescue calls at Hippie Hole in the last month we can’t stress this enough. Each one of those calls often takes no less than 3-4 hours.

07/11/2025

We had a crew out participating in this training last night. It was a great night for training!

04/28/2025

Great class and like it says, can’t beat the cost!

🚑✨ FREE CADS CLASS ALERT! ✨🚑

South Dakota Ambulance Association is excited to sponsor a FREE Certified Ambulance Documentation Specialist (CADS) Class — a $99 value, yours at NO COST thanks to our partnership with the SD Department of Health! 🙌

📚 What is CADS?
The Certified Ambulance Documentation Specialist (CADS) certification, offered by NAAC, is specifically designed for EMTs, paramedics, and EMS field practitioners — but it's ALSO perfect for QA/QI personnel, supervisors, managers, compliance officers, billers, and anyone involved in EMS clinical care or the ambulance revenue cycle! 🚑

✅ Why Take CADS?

Opens new doors for your career

Elevates your professional status

Improves your documentation quality — critical for patient care and agency sustainability

Shows your agency’s commitment to excellence 🚀

🕘 The course is 6–7 hours long with a final exam at the end. Best part? It's a lifetime certification — NO annual renewals! 🎉

👉 Small Fee: $20 will cover lunch and breaks (grant does not cover this).

📍 Classes Offered at 12 Locations Statewide in July!
But here's the deal — we need more sign-ups by June 1st or we may have to cancel some locations. Don’t miss this rare opportunity! This training is typically only offered every other year in Pierre — and usually at a $100 cost!

💥 Let’s fill those seats! Grab your EMS crew and get registered today at ➡️ https://sdambulance.org/

🌟 South Dakota EMS: Let's make this happen and strengthen our future, one certified provider at a time! 🌟

01/23/2025

One of our own is part of this class. He is now our third staff member to attend the RCFD Paramedic Program. Keep doing great things Gideon!

PARAMEDIC SCHOOL: These eight (six from RCFD and two from outside agencies) are in their third week of the Rapid City Fire Department’s Paramedic Program 2025. These students will be completing the 37-week program to include 1,200 hours of classroom education, clinical, and ride time. They are set to graduate in October 2025.

01/23/2025

Some may say that this is just the “big services” trying to expand and take over. That is not the case. If this goes through the cities and counties would work with the existing services to ensure that the service is available. This is a real problem in our area. The entire eastern part of Custer county is currently covered by Rapid City Fire Department with a small contract from the county. There is no obligation to continue to provide the service and at any time they could say no more, and that entire area would be without an ambulance. Thankfully they continue to provide this vital service with very little compensation. We’ve been asked to pick that area up before and we just don’t have the staffing to manage covering both our district and that area as well. Please contact your reps and let them know how important this is to ensure the services are available when needed!

🚑 EMS Services Are Essential for South Dakota 🚑

Did you know that in South Dakota, EMS services are not classified as "essential" like fire departments and law enforcement? Think about it—when you or a loved one is facing a medical emergency, isn’t your expectation that an ambulance will arrive immediately, staffed with trained professionals ready to save lives? Yet, the critical role EMS plays in our communities often goes unnoticed until it’s needed most.

The Problem: EMS services are not guaranteed funding or support at the same level as fire or police. This means many ambulance services, especially in rural areas, struggle to stay operational. Staffing shortages, budget cuts, and increasing call volumes only make it harder to deliver life-saving care. When services shut down, response times increase, and lives are put at risk.

The Solution: HB1043 HB1043 is a vital step toward ensuring EMS is recognized as essential across South Dakota. This bill will provide critical support to ambulance services, helping them:

🚨 Secure consistent funding for operations
🚨 Recruit and retain qualified staff
🚨 Invest in updated equipment and training
🚨 Guarantee access to care, no matter where you live

Why Should EMS Be Essential?
We all expect an ambulance to be there when we call 911—ready, equipped, and staffed. Why should EMS be any less of a priority than fire or law enforcement? Emergencies don’t discriminate, and neither should our policies.

How You Can Help:
✅ Educate yourself about HB1043 and its impact.
✅ Contact your legislators and urge them to support this bill.
✅ Share this post to spread awareness about the importance of EMS services.

Let’s work together to ensure that South Dakotans, no matter where they live, have access to the emergency care they deserve. Because when seconds count, so does EMS. 💙
https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/25606/274264?Year=2025