AgWest awards Clark County $4,000 grant for new ambulance equipment
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DUBOIS – The emergency management team in Clark County is getting new ambulance equipment thanks to a grant from AgWest.
Sheree Farr, the county’s EMS director, tells EastIdahoNews.com the agricultural lending cooperative presented them with a $4,000 check last week. The money is being used to provide extrication equipment for the ambulance crew.
One of the items being acquired is a strut, a tool used to stabilize and lift vehicles or rescue people. The grant funds are being combined with a community development block grant.
A FEMA grant earlier this year allowed them to buy a cutter and a spreader, a hydraulic tool that can pry and lift heavy objects so emergency responders can rescue people trapped inside a vehicle.
Farr says these items will be very helpful to the rescue team dealing with an increasing amount of calls. She’s grateful to AgWest for providing these funds.
“It’s really humbling … to see the generosity of individuals and organizations who really want to help rural Idaho,” Farr says. “Our county wouldn’t be able to have the facilities and services without (their assistance).”
The number of EMS calls has increased significantly in counties throughout eastern Idaho in recent years. Some of that is due to the influx of people.
Though Clark County is one of the least populated counties in the state, a lot of people recreate in the area.
Farr says more than half of the emergency calls in Clark County this year have been crashes or vehicle-related injuries.
There was a 25% increase in emergency calls from 2020 to 2021, Farr says, but those levels have since returned to about what they were prior to that.
In addition to the grants for extrication equipment, the county was recently awarded a grant for a school resource officer. Their next goal is to provide a new vehicle for him.
They’re also working to build a new EMS building. The ambulance crew currently shares a space with the fire department and other agencies, but a $700,000 community development block grant will help pay for a new building. They’ll be accepting contracting bids in January and hope to begin construction this spring or summer.
“We are deeply grateful for organizations, such as AgWest, and their willingness to help those of us who serve in rural Idaho. With their support, we can continue to maintain a well-equipped ambulance service to benefit all of those here in Clark County,” Farr says in a news release.