Service Spotlight

Quinter Ambulance Service

éArticle by Jeanne SchantzDickinson County EMS

Photos by Jon Friesen

This issue’s service spotlight takes us on a trip west along Interstate 70 to a stop at mile marker 107 between Hays and Colby. There you will find the small town of Quinter, which is located in Gove County and the home of Quinter Ambulance Service. Gove County is primarily agricultural and has a population of just under 3,000 people with five towns including Quinter, Park, Grainfield, Grinnel, and Gove City. Gove County covers 1,080 square miles that includes three school districts.

If you want to see one of the eight wonders of Kansas, you will want to take a trip to Quinter and head about 12 miles south of I-70 to Castle Rock. Castle Rock is a limestone, chalk, and shale formation that is very fragile and may not last many more years. It is located on private range land and offers a unique off-road experience for those looking for some adventure in a wilder part of Kansas.

Quinter Ambulance Service (QAS) is not owned by any company, county, or hospital as they are owned and operated by their volunteers. According to QAS, they

are one if not the last privately owned, fully volunteer service in the state of Kansas. They have one station, three units, and 16 EMT volunteers with two of those volunteers being training officers and CPR instructors. These volunteers respond to approximately 250 calls per year and are involved with community projects like parades, back to school festivals, the McBurney Fun Run Weekend, and various other community events. They also work with high schools, preschools, libraries, the sheriff’s department, and others to help educate the community.

Quinter Ambulance Service was founded in 1973 by founders Paul Dinkel, Jake Norton, Marvin Sprenkel, Alvin Chupp, Loren Jamison, Wesley Turner,

Frank Leibham, and Merril Anderson. These founders had a vision for their service, town, and fellow community members. An example of this dedication is Frank Leibham, who received his original certification coming out of the University of Kansas in 1973 (before they were even called EMTs). Frank dedicated 35 uninterrupted years to volunteering with Quinter Ambulance

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Service Spotlight

Service from 1973-2008. Frank was the 2014 KEMSA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient because of his commitment to the service, his community, and the EMS profession.

A large part of the Quinter Ambulance Service is their medical director Dr. Michael Machen. 2015 marked the 25th year that Dr. Machen has served as the Medical Director of QAS. Although he is the organization’s Medical Director, his professional involvements as a Kansas Physician directly brings a positive impact to Kansas EMS as an entire entity and not just to his local service. From the EMT picking up a patient on scene, to the nursing staff and physician taking care of the patient who comes into an ER, Dr. Machen has likely had a hand in the excellent care that is provided to that patient. Dr. Machen’s service is extraordinary, honorably commendable, and selfless. Dr. Machen was the 2015 KEMSA Physician of the Year recipient for his dedication and long standing commitment to QAS, Kansas EMS, and his continued efforts in bringing the best patient care possible. Dr. Machen is one of the original eight members of the MAC and is still a current board member.

The future is exciting for EMS at the Quinter Ambulance Service. As a provider with the Kansas Heart and Stroke Collaborative, QAS is now able to transmit 12 lead EKG from the scene to the admitting ER. In addition, they recently received a generous donation of $20,000 from the Porter Trust to purchase a new Philips MRX cardiac monitor that has enormously changed their care capabilities as required as part of this collaborative.

“This is a game changer for our rural patients - in that we are able to provide this type of care ‘way out west.’ A rural volunteer service is a different creature, not better, not worse – just different,” said Ericka Gillespie-Nicholson, City of Quinter Administrator and QAS volunteer. “It feels good that we are part of something that will have a marked impact on patient outcome.”

The Kansas Heart and Stroke Collaborative has helped make the service even more visible in the community as well as they held a demonstration of “hands only CPR” during halftime of a basketball game last winter.

When asked “What is your service most proud of?” Ericka said, “We were founded by a group of volunteers and remain a volunteer service. Also, we have a network of services and hospitals in our Region that truly wish for the success of one another. That is a very exciting thing to be a part of.”

Quinter Ambulance Service is an EMS service rich in history and dedication through the hard working, caring, and dedicated volunteers both past and present.

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Allan Dinkel, EMTHow long have you been in EMS? I have been with Quinter Ambulance since 1990. How did you get involved in EMS? I got involved with EMS while I was serving the Quinter Fire Department. Quinter Ambulance Service was making a big push to get some of the firemen to consider joining. Myself, along with seven other people decided to take on the challenge. A lot of compromises had to be made to make this happen. Looking back, I would do it again.What has kept you in EMS as a volunteer? Knowing you can make a difference by helping your community and surrounding area has kept me involved with this valuable service that we provide. What type of rewards do you get from the job? The reward that comes with helping someone in time of need is priceless. Challenges? The biggest challenge I face, which is often in a small community, is having to make the calls that involve family or friends. These calls challenge you to keep your emotions in check. What does the future look like to you? I hope the future for rural EMS will stay strong. It will always have its challenges though. It seems to be getting harder to find volunteers to give of their time and energy, day in and day out. Quinter has always been a very giving community, and I’m confident it will continue to be.

Roy Litfin, EMT / TO 1How long have you been in EMS? 26 years (Joined in 1990) Wow, time flies!How did you get involved in EMS? I was always interested in being a first responder and shortly after joining the Quinter Fire Department, the Ambulance service held a CPR class for the firemen. I remember EMTs Tom Scott and Frank Leibham sharing with us the rewards and the challenges of being an EMT. Because of their encouragement, I signed up for EMT training and would like to thank Frank, Chet, and Tom for helping us with our clinicals. What has kept you in EMS as a volunteer? In my first few years, I did not get to help like I was hoping. Later on, things changed and with the development of a call schedule, I got to help the ambulance service with numerous calls. Some have been hard, but many have been good experiences. The good ones have definitely helped with the tough ones.What type of rewards do you get from the job? I am very thankful for the training, skills, and tools that have enabled me to provide emergency care to those who are hurting. It feels very rewarding to see them later on, doing well, and going about their lives again in our community. Challenges? When the pager goes off, it is a challenge realizing that the call we are responding to is someone we know, and they are hurting.

What does the future look like to you? I have retired from the fire department and now help as an EMT training officer. My full time job lets me drop things and run as needed. I am thankful for my employer’s willingness to work with the EMS service this way.What is something someone might not know about you? I like most all things electronic, such as ham radio and computers, but I also enjoy getting off the grid. I enjoy hiking, camping, going to mountains, and black powder Rendezvous, but getting away to see the grandkids tops them all.

Ericka Jean Nicholson, EMT / TO 1How long have you been in EMS? Seven yearsHow did you get involved in EMS? Both of my parents are EMTs, and I have tremendous admiration of the service’s founders and their impact on our community.What has kept you in EMS as a volunteer? #1) I am not in EMS for a financial compensation, but as a genuine effort to repay a community/county of people who raised me. I was born and raised here and owe these kind people so much. Everyone gives to their community in different ways. I choose to give back through EMS. #2) If this service was not volunteer, the cost to our taxpayers would be enormous. It is necessary for the future of this community and regional rural health care center (Gove County Medical Center) that we are always looking to identify those members in our community who look to serve on the volunteer level. What type of rewards do you get from the job? It feels good to do good. Some rewards come from a kind word on the street - someone saying “thank you for caring for my dad.” Sometimes, when you walk into someone’s home after they’ve called 911 and they are afraid and they see a familiar face, the reward is the relief you see in their eyes that someone they know is here to help. And once in a while, the reward has no words or expressions at all - it is seeing a child swinging at the school playground a year after you wondered if they survived the trauma of a horrible MVA. Challenges? Just like all providers, sometimes your radio or pager goes off, and you respond with the tears in your eyes from the run you just got back from. Recognizing every run deserves the best you have to offer, even if that “bad one” is still too fresh in your mind. I don’t care who you are, you will always wonder if you could have done more. It is particularly hard to respond to calls of our own loved ones, or family of our own team members. It happens too often. What is something someone might not know about you? I am very passionate about rural Kansas and the preservation of the way of life in our area. This is my home, and I am honored to have been able to return to it and serve both my hometown of Quinter as City Manager and the county as part QAS.

MEET SOME VOLUNTEERS OF QAS

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Service Spotlight