On April 15,1976,the Scott County Fiscal Court and the Georgetown City Council agreed to create what is now known as the Georgetown-Scott County Emergency Medical Services. This was the first joint emergency service in Scott County. Under the direction of Charles Southworth,the service worked with one BLS (Basic Life Support) crew from 6:00 in the morning until shift change the next morning,paid on a per run basis. Under the direction of the late Warren Powers,the crews began working 24 hour shifts with 48 hours off,similar to the fire department. Our run volume averaged about 1200 runs per year.
In September of 1989,under the direction of Howard Bennett EMT-P,Georgetown-Scott County EMS was approved by the state to upgrade to ALS (Advanced Life Support). This allowed our service to employ paramedics authorized to administer IV fluids and medications,as well as perform EKG monitoring,cardiac defibrillation,advanced airway maneuvers,and other advanced skills.
Today we treat more than 5000 patients per year utilizing some of the newest technology available for prehospital care. We have nine ambulances and a full time paid staff of 31 employees. This includes a director,assistant director, quality control officer who currently is also the fleet maintenence and supply officer, 21 Paramedics,and 6 Emergency Medical Technicians. For additional assistance we call upon our pool of part time personnel. Our current director is Duane Lee,NREMT-P.
As of July 1,2002 our Service is officially governed by the Scott County Fiscal Court with Judge Executive George Lusby.
Our ongoing mission at GSCEMS is to strive for excellence in all aspects of our service. We will instill the greatest confidence in our community that we are prepared to provide quality,compassionate care. As individuals,we set the standards of integrity and professionalism,but as a team,we will sacrifice our individual goals for the betterment of life. Community wellness will be improved through our promotion of prevention and health education. In the end,we take pride in knowing that we will “Make a Difference”.