- Relevance
- Date
- Any time
- Past 24 hours
- Past week
- Past month
- Past year
Sort By
Date
All results /
The EMT shortage in Superior is nothing new
When Anita Parkin was substitute teaching at Superior High School on a Wednesday morning, she got a call on her pager from the 911 dispatcher for a medical emergency. She either had to abandon her class and hurry to the Superior Area Ambulance Service or deny the call. She opted to deny the call, but only because her co-worker, Life Science teacher Beau Servo, decided he would abandon his class of three to take it. Parkin worked to consolidate the classes while Servo fled the school to respond to the medical emergency. “The other teachers help out, but we can’t get away sometimes,” Parkin said. Scenarios like this happen often in Superior, where there are around nine active Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) who regularly respond to emergencies. “There’s a core group of us, we all have pagers and it’s basically whoever answers,” Parkin said. Parkin has been an EMT for 43 years and is the vice chair of the Superior Area Ambulance Service. She said the ambulance always struggles with EMT shortages because they are all volunteers and most already have other jobs. She says volunteers are generally not as committed as paid EMTs. “Sometimes people get off work to go (on calls),” Parkin says. “It makes life interesting.” She says there are about six EMTs who always wear their pager. Ideally three EMT’s should respond to a call, but sometimes only two are able to go. The state realizes Superior is rural, so they allow fewer responders than they would in a more populated area. Parkin says the ambulance will sometimes pick up EMTs in St. Regis or the West End if they don’t have enough responders in Superior. “It’s kind of an interesting thing, I don’t know too many other places that do it this way,” Parkin said. Superior’s ambulance was affiliated with Superior Volunteer Fire Department, but they separated in the last 20 years. The Ambulance Service is a nonprofit and the county gives them two mills every year which equals to $10,000 each. This also qualifies the service for grants. “We always need a new ambulance or something, we just built a new ambulance station and we do all the maintenance and shoveling,” Parkin said. Parkin teaches an EMT class in Superior every few years, and she recently finished one where six students finished. 12 students were initially enrolled and half of them dropped out after realizing how much work it entailed. Parkin says Superior will only gain one EMT out of this class if she passes the exam. For now, the Superior Area Ambulance Service makes do with their EMT shortage. “If we don’t have EMTs and respond to calls, they’ll have to wait for somebody from Missoula or Plains,” Parkin said. “We’ve made sure that doesn’t happen.”
Mineral County law roundup
A caller reported large chunk of ice in the middle of the road, transferred call to MHP.
Letters to the Editor - Oct. 23
Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls
Mineral County Sheriff's Office calls
Mineral County Sheriff's Office call report
Mineral County Sheriff's Office call report
Community calendar
The Mineral County Talent Contest will be held Saturday, Aug. 7 at the county fair.
New events center brings needed service to Sanders County community
Alberton seniors bid farewell
ALBERTON – Thirteen Alberton seniors graduated May 18, and were welcomed to the real world by teachers, staff, parents and other spectators.
Underclassmen step up for Blue Hawks basketball
The changing of the guard continues in Thompson Falls.
Superior celebrates its high school graduates
The 2021 graduating class of Superior High School was like any other group of adolescents...
Cabinet District collaborative projects moving forward
The Cabinet District of the Kootenai National Forest has produced a string of successful forest projects over recent years, according to leaders of the Cabinet Forest Collaborative (CFC), a local citizens group.
Community calendar
Students see the importance of their studies
After studying six of the 10 systems of the human body, the students of Stacy Crabb’s fourth grade class saw the real world applications of their knowledge.
Alberton library receives grant
The library in Alberton received a Libri Foundation Grant to purchase more children’s books. The grant was in the amount of $1,050. The grant required 2:1 matching and the Alberton Helping Hands organization supplied the $350 needed for the matching funds.
Performing arts concert series
The Mineral County Performing Arts Council is excited to start their 2010 – 2011 concert series with the Greater Missoula Area Single Reed on a Wooden Horn Society. (GMASRWHS) The concert will be held Oct. 1, at the Superior Baptist Church, 609 5th Avenue East, in Superior at 7 p.m.
Mine near Superior in final cleanup phase
There’s been a lot of activity at the Flat Creek Iron Mountain Mine located four miles northeast of Superior. It became a Superfund site in 2002 and the final cleanup phases are currently taking place.
Mineral County Community Calendar - Oct. 23
Free Medicare 101 Classes Coming Soon