Featuring -- Banner Churchill Emergency Medical Service

by Rachel Dahl -- Beth Riley is the paramedic supervisor at the Banner Churchill Community Hospital Emergency Medical Services. This hospital-based EMS covers the 5,000 square miles of Churchill County with two ambulance crews on a 24/7 basis. “We cover the entire county as well as assist the smaller surrounding communities of Fernley and Schurz, sometimes having to drive all the way out to Cold Springs for a code 3,” said Riley. There are 16 people who work for the EMS including EMTs, paramedics, and critical care paramedics. Each ALS Ambulance (Advanced Life Support) runs a crew of two at a time, and there is the option to run a third crew if necessary with one of the five ambulances available to the team. In addition to their regular duties, each of the 16 crew members pitches in to cover all aspects of their department, from emergency management and special events, to maintenance of the ambulances, and taking care of supply and inventory. The EMS crew also manages a program to provide safe car seat installation to local parents, with four certified car seat technicians. Riley said that anyone who has a car seat or needs one installed is welcome and encouraged to contact the EMS car seat line at 775-867-7915. They can provide installation, check for recalls, and check the integrity of the seat. “We would rather be safe than sorry,” she said. Riley also said they do have some car seats available in special circumstances for people who cannot afford one. Additionally, the First Responders of Churchill County have held a Holiday Food Drive competition for the past four years. This year, on December 1st, members of the volunteer fire department, Fallon Police Department, Sheriff’s office, Search and Rescue, Nevada Highway Patrol, and Banner EMS raised a total of 19,540 pounds of food for the local community, with the volunteer fire department winning the contest. Volunteer fire — 7,560 Fallon PD — 4,560 Sheriff Dept — 2,800 Search & Rescue — 1,920 NHP — 1,420 Banner EMS — 1,280 Over the past four years of holding their competition, these first responders have collected a total of 45,848 pounds of food to help the needy in our local community.       Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page. If you enjoy The Fallon Post, please support our effort to provide local, independent news and make a contribution today.  Your contribution makes possible this online news source for all things Fallon.