MONROE - Applause went up in the Green County EMS capital campaign committee meeting Monday, June 3 when Dave Deininger, co-chair with his wife Mary, announced the EMS is nearing two-thirds of its $1.5 million goal less than two years into its five-year campaign.
Gifts from pacesetting donors and major donors are still coming in, Deininger added.
The volunteer service organization wants to collect 75 to 80 percent of the total funds before breaking ground on its new 12,000 square-foot EMS station at 1800 12th St.
This week the committee kicks off the last phase of its campaign, reaching out to the general public for gifts from the community.
"We're pleased how things have been going," Deininger said. "The community has been very positive.
"People have a general appreciation for the services Green County EMS provides and an understanding that the project is needed," he added.
Campaign committee members said the volume of emergency calls continues to climb, making volunteers the cornerstone of Green County EMS.
"Green County EMS is not supported by tax dollars; it is self-funded," said committee member Randy Roderick. "If the EMS were on our tax roll, it would be expensive, on-going and usually increasing every year."
The organization broke its monthly record with 154 calls this January and again in May with 155 calls, according to Dan Nufer, EMS chief. Each call requires at least two, and preferably three, licensed EMT volunteers.
The not-for-profit organization is staffed by 47 regular emergency medical technician volunteers, with nine more in training, and 19 affiliated associates who maintain the vehicles and stationhouse among other duties. Half the volunteers come from out of town. Only Nufer is a paid employee.
Roderick, a former Green County sheriff, recalled emergency scenes before Green County EMS was formed. The sheriff's department was the primary agency responsible for transporting the injured to hospitals after accidents, using station wagons equipped with a stretcher, oxygen and a first aid kit. Municipal police sedans were not equipped for the task.
Officers on the scene, with basic first aid but not EMT training, had to make the decisions about severity of injuries and how to transport the injured people, he said.
Roderick said he considered Green County EMS a gift for law enforcement and taxpayers when it organized - and it still is today.
Green County EMS responded to 306 calls in 1975. It moved into the facilities on 12th Street in 1980.
EMS calls increased 7.5 percent between 2011 and 2012, from 1,460 calls in 2011 to 1,570 calls in 2012. Green County EMS serves more than 20,000 people, covering all of Green County as well as parts of Lafayette and Iowa counties.
The new facility will have a five-stall garage; classrooms; sleeping quarters for up to three full crews; and plenty of storage space. It will also provide locker rooms and showers, a full kitchen, offices, training and classrooms and meeting areas.
The organization purchased property at the new location in July 2012 and demolished an existing structure on the lot in November 2012.
Gifts from pacesetting donors and major donors are still coming in, Deininger added.
The volunteer service organization wants to collect 75 to 80 percent of the total funds before breaking ground on its new 12,000 square-foot EMS station at 1800 12th St.
This week the committee kicks off the last phase of its campaign, reaching out to the general public for gifts from the community.
"We're pleased how things have been going," Deininger said. "The community has been very positive.
"People have a general appreciation for the services Green County EMS provides and an understanding that the project is needed," he added.
Campaign committee members said the volume of emergency calls continues to climb, making volunteers the cornerstone of Green County EMS.
"Green County EMS is not supported by tax dollars; it is self-funded," said committee member Randy Roderick. "If the EMS were on our tax roll, it would be expensive, on-going and usually increasing every year."
The organization broke its monthly record with 154 calls this January and again in May with 155 calls, according to Dan Nufer, EMS chief. Each call requires at least two, and preferably three, licensed EMT volunteers.
The not-for-profit organization is staffed by 47 regular emergency medical technician volunteers, with nine more in training, and 19 affiliated associates who maintain the vehicles and stationhouse among other duties. Half the volunteers come from out of town. Only Nufer is a paid employee.
Roderick, a former Green County sheriff, recalled emergency scenes before Green County EMS was formed. The sheriff's department was the primary agency responsible for transporting the injured to hospitals after accidents, using station wagons equipped with a stretcher, oxygen and a first aid kit. Municipal police sedans were not equipped for the task.
Officers on the scene, with basic first aid but not EMT training, had to make the decisions about severity of injuries and how to transport the injured people, he said.
Roderick said he considered Green County EMS a gift for law enforcement and taxpayers when it organized - and it still is today.
Green County EMS responded to 306 calls in 1975. It moved into the facilities on 12th Street in 1980.
EMS calls increased 7.5 percent between 2011 and 2012, from 1,460 calls in 2011 to 1,570 calls in 2012. Green County EMS serves more than 20,000 people, covering all of Green County as well as parts of Lafayette and Iowa counties.
The new facility will have a five-stall garage; classrooms; sleeping quarters for up to three full crews; and plenty of storage space. It will also provide locker rooms and showers, a full kitchen, offices, training and classrooms and meeting areas.
The organization purchased property at the new location in July 2012 and demolished an existing structure on the lot in November 2012.