The Wykoff Ambulance service was decommissioned over 10 years ago, due to funding constraints. Since then, the First Responders crew has worked to fill that void, but times have been tough, both from a financial perspective, and from a personnel standpoint. Director Teresa Swenson explained that although the service was previously in a very precarious position, things have started to get better recently and could now be described as relatively “stable.”
Earlier this year, the crew was fortunate enough to find a quality used truck to replace the outdated ambulance. The truck was sold to Wykoff First Responders from Spring Grove, and the seller allowed Wykoff to pay it off over time, which made all the difference due to the First Responders’ very limited budget. There was also a great outpouring of donations from private citizens which helped make the purchase possible.
Besides equipment, the Wykoff First Responders have also faced a challenge regarding the crew itself. Swenson stated that during her six years of tenure with the crew, “We’d slowly been losing people. When I started there were seven or eight of us, and over the years people have been retiring because they’ve been on for a really long time,… to have more time with family and things like that. And we’ve gotten down to four of us. James (Eickhoff) and I were the only two on from when I started six years ago.”
But, she adds, things are started to improve. “We’ve acquired Jon Eickhoff, he’s moved back to the area, and Scott Gilsrud moved over this way. And within the last couple of months we have a brand new 18-year-old starting with the service, Colin Hofschulte.” She pointed out that all of the crew members actually live outside of Wykoff city limits, but added, “It’s better to have us, than having to wait 15 or 20 minutes for an ambulance.” She explained that the purpose of First Responders, as the name suggests, is to get to people quickly and provide basic care until the ambulance (from a nearby city) can arrive.
Swenson said, “For me, I started out as a volunteer for Spring Valley when I lived in town. I’d always been interested in it and finally my husband convinced me to take the leap, and I haven’t looked back since. And now I do this as my full-time career.” She feels the most rewarding part of the job is “knowing we’re there to help people when it could be their worst day.”
Swenson explained that it can be a challenge to answer medical emergencies in such a small town, because the crew generally knows the patients very well. But she added that is also an advantage, because “at the same time I think it brings a lot of comfort to the person to know that it’s somebody local that’s taking care of them. I think the familiar face helps bring a sense of calm to our patients.”
Swenson is very interested in finding a few more people to join the crew, to help bolster them from “stable” to “good” condition. She said no previous experience is needed, and when asked what is the top trait needed to become a First Responder, she quickly answered, “Compassion. There are definitely a lot of traits I could tell you,… organization, detail-oriented, team player,… but I think that the biggest thing in our field is compassion.” She added a favorite quote, stating, “People may not remember what you said to them, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel.” Anyone interested in joining the crew is encouraged to contact Teresa Swenson (507-696-9291) or the Wykoff City Clerk office.