NORTH JEFFERSON COUNTY AMBULANCE DISTRICT

By: Bill Haggard

North Jefferson County Ambulance District from the beginning … Dedication, Compassion, Teamwork!

Ambulance service in North Jefferson County initially operated out of a trailer at Miller Tax Services on High Ridge Boulevard in High Ridge. On April 30, 1976, ground was broken and North Jefferson County Ambulance District (NJCAD) began. NJCAD residents worked together to establish NJCAD’s headquarters located at 2820 Horrell Lane. During this time, NJCAD was operated by volunteers from the community.

North Jefferson County Ambulance District is comprised of 32 square miles beginning at Highway 30 and Northwest Boulevard at the east proceeding west on Highway 30 to Betty Hill at the west, Antire Road and Beaumont Boy Scout Ranch at the north and Rock Creek Road and Old Sugar Creek Road to the south.

From 1976 to 1978, NJCAD operated as a basic life support ambulance with volunteer personnel responding to approximately 350 calls per year. Three years later in 1979, NJCAS transitioned to Advance Life Support (ALS) units. This is the first year NJCAD had paid paramedics who responded to approximately 500 EMS calls per year, thus providing emergency care to the approximately 20,000 residents living within the district’s boundaries at that time.

For the next 18 years, from 1978 to 1996, NJCAD maintained one ALS unit operating 24 hours a day and a second ambulance was available on an “on call” basis. The “on call” crew had 10 minutes to place the backup ambulance in service whenever the first unit was dispatched on an emergency call.

In August of 1996, NJCAD placed a second full time ambulance in service, eliminating the need for the “on call” ambulance. The addition of the second ambulance also meant extremely cramped quarters to house four paramedics for 24 hours a day. It was once again time for change at NJCAD to allow for proper housing of emergency personnel.

In May of 1999, NJCAD sealed the deal and began destruction of the original building established in 1976. The construction of the current operating headquarters at 2820 Horrell Lane began. The current headquarters building houses 2 full-time ALS ambulances and a third part-time ALS ambulance 12 hours per day.

Currently, the North Jefferson County Ambulance District responds to 2200 emergency response calls per years serving our 42,000 residents.