ANTRIM COUNTY, Mich,. (WPBN/WGTU) – – When someone is experiencing a health emergency, seconds matter.
That’s why a rural Antrim County community is making a change that could be a life-saving resource.
The township ambulance authority is placing an ambulance at the South Torch Lake Fire Station, to help those living in and around Helena Township.
Township ambulance authority paramedics say before they had to come from Bellaire or Mancelona which would add on 20 to 25 minutes to their typical response time.
“The benefit to cut down on the response time it’s really for the residents. When you have a medical emergency time is of the essence. So that’s what we really look at for a better outcome one for our patients is the faster response time to get them in the ambulance and to the hospital,” said Brian Kirkland, Township Ambulance Authority Paramedic.
Kirkland says the ambulance authority currently serves nine townships in Antrim County, and hopes to expand into the northwest side of the county as well.
Right now, the ambulance is operating for 12-hour shifts, but will soon transition over to a 24-hour and 7 days per week station.