Ambulance Service Recognized with Career EMS Service Award

Brookings, S.D. – Nov. 29, 2024 – Brookings Health System’s Ambulance service
received the Career EMS Service Award at the 2024 South Dakota Emergency Medical
Services Association (SDEMSA) conference in Spearfish, S.D., this fall. The honor
celebrates Brookings Health’s Ambulance team for going above and beyond in their
commitment to saving lives and improving healthcare.

White Volunteer Ambulance Service from White, S.D., nominated Brookings Health
System Ambulance for the award which recognizes a prehospital care provider that is
predominantly staffed by paid career staff.

“Located just 12 miles northeast of Brookings, White runs a volunteer basic life support
(BLS) ambulance service,” said Tamara Byers of White Volunteer Ambulance Service in
the nomination. “Being volunteer means there have been times when we were unable to
cover our 911 calls due to lack of personnel. When this happens, the Brookings
Ambulance Service has covered our area and provided much needed and timely care.
Also, since we run only a BLS service, there are many times we have called upon them
to assist us if we felt advanced life support (ALS) may be able to better treat our
patients. During these calls, they not only assist us in giving the patient the best possible
care, but also teach us by example with patience and knowledge.”

Brookings Ambulance Service began operations in 1974 with one vehicle, taking over
the service from the local funeral homes. Today the ambulance service’s fleet includes
four advanced life support vehicles, one mass casualty vehicle and a mobile first-aid
trailer. The team of professional paramedics and EMTs average over 2,500 calls in a
year, providing ALS services for the City of Brookings and much of Brookings County,
including Aurora, Bruce, Bushnell, Sinai and Volga. In addition, Brookings Ambulance
also assists Arlington, Clear Lake, Elkton, Estelline, White and Lake Preston with ALS
calls when requested.

Area residents are invited to help Brookings Health System Foundation raise money on
Tuesday, Dec. 3, the South Dakota Day of Giving, to purchase a new advance life
support ambulance. The Foundation hopes to have 500 people give $20 each that day,
with the first $10,000 given matched dollar-for-dollar thanks to the generosity of Lynn
and Brian Darnall. To learn more and give, please visit brookingshealth.org/SDGives .