Stearns County EMS

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) plays a critical role in the health and safety of the residents of Stearns County.  Over 1,100 paid and volunteer personnel (including law enforcement, fire, ambulance, first responder) provide the residents of Stearns County with a 24/7 service that is available at a moment's notice to respond to everything from a fire to a medical emergency.  The average response time in Stearns County is between 5 and 7 minutes!

The Stearns County Board is committed to assuring this valuable resource continues to be available to its citizens by providing $20,000 each year to help offset the required training needed by these providers, as well as committing time and dollars to a recognition conference each year in January.  Each year the Board sets one day in January as EMS Recognition Day in Stearns County.  This is also the same day as the EMS Recognition Conference.  Held at St. John's University, EMS providers are recognized for their great work and provided valuable training needed to keep this service high quality.

Stearns County also supports an EMS Task Force.  This task force, which is part of the Human Services Advisory Committee structure, is made up of EMS providers and is charged with planning related to the EMS system in Stearns County.  This task force is staffed by employees of the Public Health Division.  The EMS Task Force (along with all other task forces) creates a work plan that helps focus its work for the year.  Interested in an appointment to the Stearns County EMS Task Force?

The 2009 work plan includes the following items:

  • The task force will continue to make recommendations to Stearns County Human Services, the Human Services Advisory Committee, and local EMS agencies regarding emergency medical services in Stearns County.
  • The task force guides Stearns County in expending dollars allocated by the Stearns County Board of Commissioners for training needs of Stearns County EMS agencies.
  • The task force plans and facilitates an annual training and recognition conference for Stearns County EMS providers.  Historically, this training is held at St. John's University and is held in January.
  • The task force will offer provider guidance and perspective to Stearns County Public Health for working with the Safe Community Coalition.
  • The task force will provide assistance and guidance to Stearns County Public Health for activities around Public Health Preparedness.
  • The task for will present, with the Commissioner for that district, the years of service awards to recipients with their peers at local EMS agency meetings.
  • The task force will promote public education regarding EMS within the county.