What We Do
Spearfish Ambulance Service is committed to providing the highest quality of patient care. To that end, our Paramedics and EMT's are continually advancing their knowledge and skill through ongoing education. They have technologically advanced medical equipment and vehicles at their fingertips, including automatic external defibrillators (AED's) in every ambulance, and utilize Zoll E-Series defibrillators in our primary response units which are capable of monitoring; vital signs, standard EKG, and 12-lead EKG tracings with transmitting capabilities.

Basic Life Support (BLS)
The BLS team structure is dispatched for minor trauma / medical patients. Emergency Medical Technician's are certified according to SD Department of Public Safety/Emergency Medical Services and/or National Registry of EMT's guidelines. EMT-Basics are individuals who have passed a state or nationally standardized course that includes CPR, AED, airway management, artificial ventilation, basic trauma life support, emergency childbirth, rescue and extrication, and other noninvasive skills.

Advanced Life Support (ALS)
Advanced Life Support team members are comprised of two different levels of certification. The first is the EMT-Intermediate. These are EMT's who have advanced their education and skill level to establish IV's and secure the airway with specially designed devices. The highest level of pre-hospital providers are the Paramedics. Paramedics are highly trained patient care providers who are specially equipped to assess a patient's needs and provide a wide range of therapies to stabilize or correct many acute medical problems. These providers are skilled in the treatment of many medical and traumatic emergencies to include; chest pain, shortness of breath, altered mental status, cardiac arrest, and major trauma (to name a few).

All of these levels of certification require on-going education and skills development in order to provide the best care available. The continuous training needed becomes a challenge, which Spearfish Ambulance Service has addressed by becoming an educational leader throughout the state. Our higher commitment to education has allowed us the honor of being a preceptor site for other EMT students, of all levels, as a means to further develop their skills and knowledge.

Always There When You Call
Spearfish Ambulance Service began providing pre-hospital patient care to the community of Spearfish surrounding area in 1976.  In 1997 we began offering services to the citizens of Whitewood as well. Currently, our organization provides care to the northern half of Lawrence County with an ALS outreach program to other ambulance services in the surrounding areas.

Believe it or not - All of the services and capabilities outlined above are provided by VOLUNTEER and full time staff. These individuals practice their skills and provide their knowledge out of a PASSION to help others.