Golden Valley Ambulance/Quick Response Unit is a volunteer EMS organization committed to providing quality emergency medical care and service to Golden Valley County. Members are all volunteers and the organization is not supported by tax dollars. We operate entirely on donations and fees for services. Any donations and memorials are welcomed.
Meetings:
Business meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at either the Ryegate School or the Lavina Fire Hall.
Training Meetings are held after business meetings, and practical’s throughout the year.
Contact Information:
Lyle Burgess, Director
Robert Pallas, Sheriff
Address: P.O. Box 55, Ryegate MT 59074
Telephone: 1.406.568.2321
Fax: 1.406.568.2598
email: sheriff@goldenvalleymt.org
History
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the only pre-hospital care available in Golden Valley County came from Nancy Clark. She received a grant to put First-aid kits and oxygen bottles at several out-lying buildings. There was one at Rothiemay, in the Big Coulee, Ryegate, and Lavina.
In the Lavina area in 1990-91 or so, Leroy Lane and Marilyn Daum supplied pre-hospital care and were instrumental in the start of the first organized Quick Response Unit in the Golden Valley area. In 1991 a small accident at the Ryegate school brought two people together that decided they would become volunteer First Responders. Mary Ann Schladweiler and Lyle Burgess went to Roundup and started taking classes that would allow them to also give pre-hospital care to the community. In 1992 both received their certificates and joined up with Leroy Lane and Marilyn Daum in the Golden Valley Quick Response Unit. This first Quick Response Unit bought all of their own equipment and supplies and worked out of their private vehicles to give this pre-hospital care to Golden Valley County.
From that time until now, both Lavina and Ryegate have purchased an ambulance where they keep all of the equipment and supplies needed for administering care. All of the members of this Quick Response Unit constantly train and upgrade their education to better serve their communities. The attainable levels of training are as follows: Level 1 – First Responders, Level 2 – First Responder Ambulance, Level 3 – Emergency Medical Technicians Basic (EMT-B), Level 4 – EMT-I, Level 5 – EMT-D, and Level 6 – Paramedic. Since the inception of the Quick Response Unit all of the members have been community members who have volunteered their time and their own monies to become trained to serve in their communities.
In 1998 Golden Valley Quick Response Unit became licensed to transport patients to the hospital, and became the Golden Valley Ambulance Service. This was a project that Mary Ann Schaldweiler and Lyle Burgess were very instrumental in getting started along with help from Floyd Fisher, the Golden Valley Sheriff. Throughout the years, both Mary Ann and Lyle have become instructors and have helped train many people by holding courses in First-Aid, CPR, Automatic External Defibrillation, First Responder, First Responder Ambulance, and EMT’s. Over the years many members have given their time to this organization. They are Leroy and Myrtle Lane, Marilyn Daum, Mary Ann Schladweiler, Lyle Burgess, Floyd Fisher, Darlene Weenum, Adele Ballard, Lynn Lewis, Kevin Rohrer, Jody Laramee, Tony Schaff, Bill Wright, Tom Horpestad, Roger and Robin Puckett, Jamie Otterstrom, Janie Brown, Bob and Hope Pallas, and Charlotte Zinne. (If anyone was missed, the author apologizes.
At the present time the Golden Valley Ambulance Service has three EMT’s, seven First Responder Ambulance, and two First Responders on their roster. We continue to supply pre-hospital care and transport to the communities of Golden Valley County.
EMS Links
Rural Medics – www.ruralmedics.com
Montana EMS – www.dphhs.state.mt.us/hpsd/ pubheal/healsafe/ems/
Golden Valley County, Montana 