READY AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE Grand County EMS moves into a new facility and prepares for another busy year Written by Rachel Fixsen | Photos by Murice D. Miller
“I
t really runs the gamut; you have to be prepared for a lot of potential scenarios,” said Emergency Medical Technician Katie Grauel, talking about what a “typical” shift might look like with Grand County Emergency Medical Services. Crews might respond to a cardiac arrest in someone’s home, an injury in the backcountry, or the urgent need to transport a patient to
more advanced care at a hospital in Salt Lake City. All of those calls might happen in just one 12-hour shift—or, they might not get any calls at all, and spend the shift training and maintaining gear and equipment. Call volumes in the GCEMS response area have been increasing in recent years, so those training and maintenance days are less common. GCEMS aims to keep pace with the rise in need: the team recently moved into a brand new facility, and they stay up-to-date with training methods. They’re also implementing a new “Mobile Integrated Health” program to help cover gaps in community health care. State legislators last year and this year are working on bills to help support and fund EMS services, particularly in rural areas like Grand County.
