Riceville Ambulance Service

posted on Tuesday, June 6, 2017

“Everyone needs an ambulance at some point in time,” says Maggie Mayer, vice-president of Riceville Ambulance Service. “So whether that means taking a patient to a higher level of care hospital or a terminally ill patient to a hospice center, we want to be prepared."

The mission of the Riceville Ambulance Service is to provide outstanding curative and palliative care for patients of both Howard and Mitchell Counties.

“It takes a lot of money to buy an ambulance, so the $20,000 grant from Iowa Select Farms was a great gift,” said Allison Zweibohmer, president of the Riceville Ambulance Service. “This grant, along with additional funds from our community, is allowing us to continue to provide our services and keep our community safe.”

EMT Kenny Marr says an ambulance depreciates an average of $10-15,000 yearly. “Our goal was to trade-in the 2011 ambulance before the end of 2016 to limit further depreciation, and this grant made it possible for us to do that.”

A team of twenty-four volunteers, including nineteen EMTS and five drivers, make the Riceville Ambulance Service go. The organization covers the communities of McIntire, Riceville and Elma and all the rural areas in between.

“We must ensure our equipment is highly maintained and as up-to-date as possible because we cover such a large area and Riceville is 20 minutes away from the nearest hospital,” Zweibohmer says. “Having an ambulance under warranty and in new condition decreases the likelihood of malfunction, which equates to more consistent service times.”

Aaron Perry, an Iowa Select Farms employee, is one of the volunteers serving as a member of the Riceville Ambulance Service. #billionplus#communitycare