By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
EMS staff teeming with experience
2A9A4535
John Wheeler (left) and Chas Pannell remove a hydraulic stretcher from an ambulance. - photo by Mark Lastinger/staff

SPRINGFIELD — Effingham County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ambulances are packed with something besides lifesaving equipment.
They are loaded with experience, too — and lots of it.
Effingham County’s 31 full-time EMS employees have combined for more than 600 years in the profession.
“That’s something that a lot of ambulance services don’t have,” Effingham County EMS Director Wanda McDuffie said. “People joke that we are a geriatric service. Fifty-two or fifty-three is about the average age of my employees.
“Over fifty-five percent of my employees have been here ten years or longer.”
McDuffie said Effingham County EMS is a close-knit unit.
“I think the most important asset of this department is the people,” she said. “We are not a perfect service by any means but we try to do better everyday.”
Effingham County EMS is a 911 service equipped with five ambulances that operate at all times. Each is staffed with personnel and equipment to administer emergency care at the Advanced Life Support level.

See the May 23 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.