08/25/2026
Strong work to our EMS and fire crews today. In the span of seven hours there were seven calls for service and a couple that were extremely emergent. The most remarkable thing is that six of these calls came in a span of three hours and seven minutes. That's basically a call every half-hour for three hours in an area that is 30 minutes from the nearest hospital. At one point, our crews were covering four calls at once, all with advanced life support and mostly with volunteer staff. Between Wapello Community Ambulance and Wapello Fire and Rescue, we had three ambulances, an ALS rapid response unit and a rescue unit all staffed and handling calls simultaneously in three different communities. All of this while most of our volunteers were working at their full-time jobs. That's almost unheard of in today's era of declining volunteerism across the country. Were we stretched pretty thin? Absolutely, but it is important to note that we still had multiple EMTs available and two Wapello Fire and Rescue units equipped to handle additional EMS calls if needed. This month has been exceptionally busy for both departments. We are extremely grateful for our excellent group of volunteers that continue to pour their hearts into our mission. If you see our folks around town and they don't slow down to talk, don't take it personally. They are likely hungry, sleep deprived and missing their families. If you see our units responding in every which direction, it's not because we're lost. We're just that busy. We thank the community for their ongoing support and we thank the local businesses that allow their employees to leave so they can volunteer during emergencies. We are always looking for new volunteers to help out. If you live or work in the Wapello (Louisa County) area and are interested in applying, feel free to message us for more information.
🚨Some see an empty garage, others think about what they could use that space for.
This is where we house 3 ambulances and our ALS chase truck. Since about 830am today here’s the calls we have ran: A1, A1, A2, Med1, A1, A2, A4. That’s right 7 calls for service in 8 hours. Staffing all of them and sometimes simultaneous. Plus having Rescue 110 covered at Wapello Fire and Rescue.
Now what do you see? 😬
We at Wapello Ambulance see dedication and commitment to our Community and the citizens passing through. It takes a team!
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