HAMILTON, ILL. -- The chief of the Hancock County, Illinois Ambulance Service says he'd like to see first responders based in Hamilton and he's hoping there's a good turnout for an information meeting on Tuesday night.
Paul Richardson, who is the chief of the Hancock County Ambulance Service and Hamilton resident Wade Plowman know how vital response time is when an ambulance is needed. That's why they're trying to generate interest in forming a first responders group in Hamilton.
"You know, I've had two calls myself when I used to have heart problems and it's that critical first responder step of being able to provide oxygen or put an AED on somebody can mean the difference between life and death. I think it's very critical that we get something in there," Plowman said.
The ambulance service has ambulances based in Carthage and Warsaw. Richardson says about 30 percent of its calls come from the Hamilton area.
"At this point in time, I feel like between Warsaw's ambulance and Carthage, the crews responding over there, they're getting good care, but that's going to allow just one more piece, one more tool to use more quickly," Richardson said.
Richardson said he'd like to see at least 12 people become first responders in the Hamilton area.
The information meeting will be held at the Warsaw ambulance building at 5:30 pm on March 5, 2013.
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