By Mondell Keck | The Brookings Register
BROOKINGS — Plans for a new facility and improved equipment and training are afoot for Elkton Community Ambulance, whose representatives appeared before the Brookings County Commission’s Feb. 17 meeting to provide information and inquire about funding possibilities.
“We’re here … to see if we can work on a budgetary agreement similar to what the fire departments do,” Berniece Stuefen said. “I know that they do, typically, for their bunker gear. Well, our bunker gear, if you will, is our radio systems — and so we’re looking for support to purchase new radio systems.”
Stuefen and her husband, Scott, are volunteers in the ambulance service, with Scott being the service’s director.
She also wanted to see if funding was available to aid with EMT classes along with continuing education costs for the 13 current members of the all-volunteer service — “Nobody gets paid a dime; we all do it just for service.”
Those volunteer numbers have dwindled recently, but there is a bit of a silver lining, Berniece Stuefen said: “My husband and I, we do put on an EMT class, and we have been able to keep the community support up and get people registered.”
Still, “The number of ambulance calls aren’t going down, but the number of people volunteering are, so we’re trying to just make sure they stay educated and certified, so that we have the ability to support the community and surrounding area,” Berniece Stuefen said.
Scott Stuefen noted that age is a related issue, with Berniece Stuefen saying most of their volunteers are between 40 and 60.
“Trying to recruit younger people is tough to do,” Scott Stuefen noted.
Returning the focus to training, he told commissioners that, education-wise, another goal is to move the ambulance service from its current “basic life support” designation to an “advanced life support” designation.
“My plan is to send all 13 of our EMTs through an EMTA class … so we’ll be able to help out Brookings Ambulance when they have all these transfers out, or Flandreau Ambulance — go over and help them out, so we can do transfers for them — and provide ALS care to the citizens around Elkton,” Scott Stuefen explained.
He said that plan has been presented to townships in the Elkton area, and that they’re “all on board with it.”
The ambulance service covers several townships — including Alton, Parnell, Elkton, Richland and Sherman — and accompanies the Elkton Fire Department on its calls. If that wasn’t enough, it also helps cover a couple of townships in Minnesota because of their proximity to Elkton and has been assisting Flandreau as well.
Growing needs
Another reason the pair was before the commissioners was to see about the availability of grant monies because the service is planning to construct a new facility, which has already been approved by the Elkton City Council.
“We’re outgrowing the fire department,” Berniece Stuefen noted. “The fire department must put some of their equipment in a different city building, and we (must) move a fire truck if we need to get our second ambulance out. As everybody can imagine, in a time of need that’s not always helpful to have to do (that).”
If built, the new facility wouldn’t be connected to the fire station but would be adjacent to it, Berniece Stuefen said. The city owns the land the facility would be built on, she added.
Specifically, the plan calls for a three-stall building that would allow for ambulance housing, training and storage. Additionally, it would have a:
- Decontamination room
- Meeting and debriefing room
- Office area for files and computers
Right now, the process is in its early stages — renderings, getting cost estimates, and trying to get financial support from donations.
“We’re just looking for guidance on grants or if there’s any monies available to help with the brick-and-mortar-type situation for expanding the ambulance,” Berniece Stuefen finished.
She’s not just relying on the county for its generosity, either: She’s assembled a list of people, heavy hitters and businesses to try to get financial support. Additionally, she said the city of Elkton has OK’d a project budget, and that the townships are good to go as well.
Commission questions
The Stuefens fielded questions from commissioners following their presentation, including one from Commissioner Shawn Hostler inquiring if the service visited with Brookings County Emergency Management to see if it could help check with the availability of grant funds.
Berniece Stuefen said they’re in the process of doing that, but that they also wanted to get everybody on the same page and get in front of those folks, so they would gain a greater understanding of what the ambulance service hopes to achieve.
Approaching from another angle, Commissioner Larry Jensen asked about the timeline for securing funding.
To this, Berniece Stuefen said they’d like to get involved in the EMTA program this year, at a rough cost of $500 per person for a total of $6,500.
Scott Stuefen said that in an effort to control costs with the EMTA class, Elkton would work jointly with Lake Norden.
Berniece Stuefen said normally the class itself costs about $3,500, but that since two instructors are volunteering their time, the main cost will be limited to materials.
In the end, commissioners encouraged the Stuefens to return with more concrete cost estimates in the months ahead, a time when the county will also have a better idea of available resources as it begins planning in May for the 2027 budget.
“I really appreciate what you guys are doing as far as volunteering your time and effort in a truly life-saving endeavor,” Commissioner Doug Post praised.
“Nobody wants to see us, but they’re happy when we’re there,” Berniece Stuefen said.
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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