New Cole County EMS director optimistic about department

Cole County’s new director of emergency medical services spoke to ABC 17 News about his first few days on the job and his plan for the department.

Jerry Johnston said he expects the pace to be significantly slower than his previous job as director of Alameda County EMS in California.

“We ran as many calls in a month in Alameda as we do in a year here in Cole County,” said Johnston. “Hopefully it will be quite a bit quieter here in mid-Missouri.”

Johnston has gained both rural and urban EMS experience in his more than 40-year career in the field.