Vernon County EMS

06/02/2026

A fun evening of training with the lifeguards at the Y!

05/31/2026

Please join us in wishing a ONE DAY LATE birthday to our third truck EMT-B, Angela! I’d like to say it’s just to keep the good wishes coming…but actually it’s because I forgot to schedule the date for the post🤦🏼‍♀️ Regardless, happiest of birthdays yesterday…and many more🥳🎉🎂

05/25/2026

Our front offices are closed Monday, May 25, in honor and observance of Memorial Day. Thank you for those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and to those that live with that loss every day.
As always, our ambulances are available 24/7 by calling 911.

05/22/2026

🚑 It’s EMS Week!🚑

If you know and love someone involved in the EMS field, you know that any and all things are dealt with, with an (un??)healthy dose of sarcasm and humor. We say around here that we laugh because the only alternative sometimes is to cry, and we don’t have time for that.
We excel at making a joke out of the most serious moment, or turning anything into a meme. Don’t mistake that for a lack of compassion or caring. Not a single person in EMS is here because they don’t care. It is very much the opposite. Burnout rates in EMS professionals have reached 58-76%, with su***de rates in EMS being TWICE what they are for non-EMS professions. (National Institute of Health). The toll that this job takes on mental health is real. The things that EMS professionals see, smell, hear and feel are beyond explanation.
The next time you see an ambulance rolling down the road, send some prayers or positive thoughts their way. They will appreciate it more than you will ever know. ♥️

05/21/2026

I try to share this every EMS Week……..

"I married a paramedic. My children's father is a paramedic. It's not glamorous - he's called an ambulance driver, mostly - and it doesn't bring home lots of money. It brings home a lot more.

You see, I've learned it takes a very special kind of person to go to work as a first responder. And not for the many reasons most people think.

Yes, they see some gross stuff, they roll up on some crazy accidents, they deal with some really 'out there' people. Some of the stories seem out of this world. But that isn't what makes the father to my children part of a special group of people, although I do believe that's not something everyone can do.

They go places they have never been, possibly having been woken up from the first sleep they've gotten in a few days, to go to someone they have never met, not knowing much information about what's going on, just to make sure people are okay. Sometimes it is serious and they may use lifesaving skills. But there are much more unglamorous calls too. A grandfather may just be missing the love of his life he lost a few years ago to cancer, a single mom may just be scared her daughter's temperature is 99.2, a woman in Wal-Mart may just be having a little anxiety and need her hand held and told it's okay. And sometimes, there is a loss. A loss that hits straight to the heart. A loss that has to be grieved.

And of course, all of this comes home with my husband. Even though all paramedics know 'you can't take it home with you', they do.

But it's not bad. I see it in the extra love I see my husband shows his children, whether it be a tighter hug or a special treat from the gas station they stopped at during work. I see every single day that my husband does not take his family for granted. He sees people in the absolute worst condition, whatever it may be, and he is determined to make our lives the absolute best.

No, he doesn't bring home a lot of money. But he brings home so much love, love for his family, love for his God, love for his patients, love for all those he sees who need a little or a lot more love.

My children see it and feel it everyday. I married a paramedic, but he gives my children so much more than just a paramedic as a father. He gives them an extra special father.

May 20-26, 2018 is EMS Appreciation week. They're an extra special group of people, whether they know it or not."

- Amber Stout
Want to share a story about fatherhood? Email [email protected]

05/21/2026

🚑 It’s EMS Week! 🚑

Yesterday we recognized full-time staff and crews, today we recognize part-time staff and our volunteer EMR’s (Emergency Medical Responder)! These individuals are even harder to catch pictures of, but it’s a set goal for this next year.

Please join us in recognizing our part-time staff, who all hold full-time employment at other districts or in other fields, and spend their time off helping us fill holes and care for the patients of Vernon County.

Part-time Paramedics:
Chris Bailey
Allison Cantrell
Brad Donovan
Tony Surratt
Jeff Teeters
Morgan Young

Part-Time AEMT:
Shane Bodey

Part-Time EMT-B:
Madison Dilly
Tyler Janes
Taylor Morrison Bell
Adam Kluhsman
Kalli Hart

We also want to give a special thanks and recognition to our EMR’s. These individual receive no pay and little attention, but are a huge part of our response throughout the county. They are often the first to arrive on scene and can assess and care for patients while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. These individuals attend education classes and training to keep their skills fresh, and all are an invaluable part of our team.

Tiffany Agee
Jeanne Ellison
Victor Ellison
Trace Evans
Moses Gingerich
Tammy Goodwin
Cody Hendrix
Josh Jeffries
Clayton Jones
Mason Jones
Machelle Kimzey
Tyler Kimzey
Lane Kohen
John Post
Allison Powell
Kandette Ricketts
Kenneth Swartz
Derik White
Hunter Yount
Korey Yount

We can’t begin to tell you all how appreciated you are, and how lucky we are to have you. Thank you, and Happy EMS week!

05/20/2026

It's EMS Week!!

Meet our crews! Our full-time staff consist of Shifts A, B, and C that rotate working 24 hours on, and 48 hours off. Our third truck staff rotate working 2 days of 11:00am - 9:00pm, and 2 days off.

Open holes are filled by our part-time staff, all of whom work other full-time jobs. Some day, we'll be able to get EVERYONE together for a full staff picture...but today is not that day ;)

Please click on each picture to view staff names, and come back tomorrow to appreciate more staff that make Vernon County Ambulance District run!

05/20/2026

There is a side of EMS most people never see.

They see the ambulance roll by. They see the lights bounce off the houses. They hear the siren for a few seconds, then the night gets quiet again.

But inside that rig, someone’s whole world may be coming apart. A father who can’t catch his breath. A mother clutching her chest. A child burning up with fever. A teenager wrapped around a steering wheel. A husband holding his wife’s hand, looking at the people in uniform like they might have the answer to the worst question he has ever had to ask.

And then there are the ones in the back of that rig.

The EMT. The paramedic. The firefighter who crossed over into medical because helping people once the fire was out still wasn’t enough.

They climb into that small space with a stranger and become the calm in the middle of everything breaking loose. They read the monitor. They listen to lung sounds. They start the IV. They give the medication. They manage the airway. They watch the clock. They talk to each other. They talk to the patient. They talk to the family. They make decisions that matter while the road is moving underneath them and someone’s life is sitting right there in their hands.

That's not just a ride to the hospital. That's responsibility.

And for a lot of them, it doesn’t even come with the kind of paycheck people would expect for that kind of weight. For some, it comes with no paycheck at all. Just a pager on the nightstand. A radio in the kitchen. A family that knows dinner might get cold and bedtime might happen without them.

So why do they do it? That’s the part that’s hard to explain.

Maybe somewhere along the way, they were the one who needed saving. Maybe they watched someone else step up, and it changed them. Maybe they found purpose in a place where most people only see pain.

Maybe they learned that redemption does not always come in church pews or clean endings. Sometimes it comes in the back of a rescue unit at 2 in the morning, when nobody knows your name, nobody sees what you did, and you still give everything you have because someone needed you.

EMS is not soft work. It will test your mind. It will test your heart. It will test your patience, your faith, your sleep, your family, and sometimes your ability to keep walking back through the door. But they do. They keep showing up.

For the chest pain call. For the rollover. For the lift assist. For the overdose. For the stroke. For the cardiac arrest. For the person who’s scared, hurting, embarrassed, angry, confused, or alone.

They show up because deep down, they know something most people never have to think about. When life turns cruel without warning, somebody has to be willing to meet it head-on.

This EMS Week, we honor the people who do exactly that. The paid crews. The volunteers. The EMTs. The paramedics. The firefighters who carry both sets of gear and both kinds of burden.

You are more than transportation. You are more than a uniform. You are more than the few minutes people see from the outside.

You are the calm voice in the worst moment. You are the hands that start hope moving again. You are the reason someone gets another chance.

And that matters more than most people will ever know!

-PJ Cummings

05/19/2026

If you have children that will be babysitting this summer, check out the Safe Sitter class being held by the Vernon County Health Department!

Sign your child up for our Safe Sitter class. Registration is REQUIRED!
Deadline to register is Friday May 29th, so supplies can be ordered in time for the class. Any questions please call our office!
We are thankful to be able to offer this class again this year FREE with the help from our Maternal Child Health contract.