Lake County Ambulance Service

Lake County Ambulance Service (lcas) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides part-time advanced life support Ambulance Service in Lake, cook, and st. louis counties in Minnesota, along the north shore of Lake superior. Communities served include: two harbors, knife river, brimson, isabella, beaver bay, silver bay, and finland. The primary Service area covered is 1,535 square miles with an approximate permanent resident population of 10,905 according to the 2020 census. Most of the Service area is 'super rural' with the largest city having a population of 3,525 residents. The Service area's populaton increases greatly with heavy tourism which is very prominent in the summer and fall seasons. Currently, lcas staffs two stations with the base of operations in the city of two harbors with one substation in silver bay. One Ambulance is staffed at both locations 24 hours a day. An als rapid response vehicle is staffed part-time in two harbors. Currently, lcas has 30 employees total with a mixture of emts, paramedics, and administrative staff. A board of directors with a total of 7 voting members, and 1 medical director oversee the Service's operations. In 2022, lcas responded to a total of 1,388 calls for Service. Lcas provides advanced life support services to the public of Lake County by maintaining the number of regularly scheduled paramedics. Lcas received a $500,000 stipend from Lake County to assist with the steadily increasing costs associated with the Service. This assisted with payroll and operating costs. Some additional revenue is generated through cpr instruction to the public by our organization. Expenses related are to recertify our staff and ongoing costs for necessary disposable supplies. Several staff have become american heart association cpr instructors, allowing us to offer cpr classes to health professionals as well as lay-person cpr for the public.