Paramedic level care coming to southern Webster County
EMS coordinator will work there
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A higher level of emergency medical care will be available faster in southern Webster County by the end of this year.
The county's emergency medical service coordinator, Scott Richard, said Thursday he plans to move his base of operations from Fort Dodge to Gowrie. From there, he will respond to calls requiring paramedic level care in the southern part of the county.
The Dayton Rescue Squad and the Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service cover that area, but they only provide basic life support care. As a paramedic, Richard will be able to administer drugs, interpret heart rhythms and provide other advanced life support care.
If that care is needed now in southern Webster County, an ambulance responds from the Fort Dodge Fire Department.
Richard had previously announced his intention to work out of the southern part of the county. On Thursday, he told the county's Emergency Medical Service Advisory Council that the plan is close to happening.
He said that today an inspector from the state Department of Health and Human Services will check his official vehicle – a Ford Explorer that used to belong to the Fort Dodge Police Department – and medical equipment. If that inspection goes well, he will be licensed to provide care.
He said the current plan is for him to work out of the Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service building in Gowrie. Agreements between that agency and the county will be presented to the council for action, possibly during its Nov. 5 meeting.
The emergency medical service coordinator position is a new one created after the voters approved a property tax levy to support EMS in March 2025.
In other business Thursday, the council approved the purchase of software that will enable the collection of data about medical responses.
The software was purchased from CentralSquare, of Lake Mary, Florida, for $3,500.25.