Boone Health says new ambulance station will cut down south Columbia response time

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Leaders from Boone Health and Boone County Fire Protection District said Monday that a new ambulance station in south Columbia could cut down response times by several minutes.

Boone Health held a dedication ceremony and open house for Ambulance Station No. 12, located on Route K near South Bethel Church Road, on Monday morning.

This new station has been operating for a month.

During the ceremony, Brady Dubois, president and CEO of Boone Health, said that this new station puts EMS teams minutes away from emergency responses and that the extra time is critical.

"Response times are critical. Every second matters. And where EMS teams are able to start from. It can mean the difference between life and death," Dubois said.

Dubois added that response times are estimated to be cut down by 4 to 5 minutes with the new station.

Although there are no current plans for another station, officials acknowledge that continued growth in the area could shift those needs.

According to Josh Peak, chief of Boone Health Emergency Medical Services, Boone County responds to about 12,000 calls a year.

Peak said that before the facility, response times were around 10-11 minutes. With the new station, the goal for every response is less than 8 minutes.

The station also houses an ATV, allowing EMS crews to reach remote areas that ambulances cannot get to.

"It's critical. So we get calls. It doesn't matter if you call us from in your house or from inside Rock Bridge Park somewhere," said Peak.

The new EMS station was made possible through a partnership between Boone Health and the Boone County Fire Protection District, resulting in faster response times to emergencies in south Columbia.