Riley Co., Kan. — Approximately 100 Riley County Residents filled the seats of the Leonardville Community Center Thursday night to voice their support of a full time Ambulance service.

Pat Collins voices his concern and support for a full-time ambulance service to Riley County Commissioners.

Throughout the night the same statement was heard over and over again as residents stressed the time it took for an ambulance to reach their homes which ranged anywhere from 20-45 minutes. Pat Collins explained how that compared to the national response time.

The wait time has many frustrated to the point where they are faced with the decision to choose between waiting for EMS to arrive on scene or transport their family member or friend themselves. That pushed Collins to ask a question to those attending.

Approximately two dozen hands went up. That, many argued, sways the number of calls shown in statistics for the calls coming from the northern part of the county which has some concerned there isn’t the volume to support a full-time service.

Residents also said the supported a board similar to what the Riley County Police Department have for EMS Services in the county.
Commissioners at the end of the meeting said they didn’t plan to make a decision on the matter during the meeting but during their next meeting, on this upcoming Monday, they plan to further discuss the matter.