People of knowledge shouldn't be the decision-makers on the body. The Mayor of La Crosse, Mark Johnsrud, in a public meeting at which the city and county were discussing how an Emergency Medical Service Commission was to be staffed, made the above statement. In doing so he got the biggest laugh of the night but didn't seem to recognize the incredulity what he had just said. The incidents leading up to the approval of the petition to stop the city were in some cases humorous while in other situations were frustrating with time lost and a waste of taxpayer dollars. As you can see by the letters from other communities, such thinking is not limited to a single area, but it is common for the elected to think they can do something better or in the worst case, more profitably for their electorate than private industry. The national debate over nationalizing health care is another example where government should have very limited involvement. Members of our local Citizens for Responsible Government led the activities and we all learned much about democracy in action. I can't emphasize enough the dedication of the men and women who spent many hours and much shoe leather gathering those needed signatures for the petition. In all there were 76 circulators who talked to their friends, neighbors, and anyone who would stop long enough to listen so they could explain the need to, "Stop City Hall".

YES, YOU CAN STOP CITY HALL!

A History of Ambulance Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin and the Coulee RegionBy David Drewes

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 David Drewes
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-5648-3

Contents

Chapter 1 The Black Moria and Horizontal Taxis............................7Chapter 2 The Government Monster Begins to Stir...........................21Chapter 3 The Citizens Yell, NO!..........................................30Chapter 4 Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave..................................41Chapter 5 Victory in Spite of City Attorney's Opinion.....................56Chapter 6 What Can You Do?................................................68

Chapter One

The Black Moria and Horizontal Taxis

The history of ambulance service in the county of, and area surrounding La Crosse, is in some ways quite typical and in other ways quite different from those of other smaller market areas. A search for a written history provided some interesting facts, but did not include the developments in 2008 and 2009, so a record of the history including more recent events seemed essential.

The Coulee Region is the name that has been adopted for this beautiful western Wisconsin area. It is descriptive as the area is full of valleys, or coulees as they are known here, cut from the plains surrounding the Mississippi River valley. The remaining bluffs along the Mississippi are as picturesque as any in the country. There are some higher hills that rise above the plain, as this area is a non-glaciated area.

When reference is made to the Coulee Region it refers to extreme southeast Minnesota, and areas north of La Crosse, south along the river, with those areas extending east and west of the Mississippi about 50 miles.

Mr. Ken Jenkerson wrote a paper for the Police Department in May of 2001 that provided some early history of police ambulance services. He noted that until 1946 the city relied upon an aging 1937 Studebaker Ambulance. In 1946 the city purchased a paddy wagon that served a dual purpose as an improvised ambulance as well as police work. It was known as the "Black Maria" (pronounced Moriah). As can be seen it was all black.

In 1949 a Packard ambulance was purchased that acquired the name "Jet." The Packard was replaced by a Cadillac ambulance in 1962. During this period an ancient Pontiac ambulance was acquired as a backup. To keep the rear door closed they had to put a chain lock on it.

Pat "Doc" Ferguson was head instructor for training for the police force in 1966 as he had been a corpsman in the military. He also was a member of the ambulance crew. Sometimes the police used Harley Davidson motorcycles with a sidecar for transport of accident patients. Non-emergency service was provided in various ways. For a period up until 1960, Dahl Funeral Home provided transport for non-emergencies.

At one time there were five hospitals in La Crosse. (Lutheran, St. Francis, Grandview, St. Anne's, and La Crosse Hospital) The doctors, and possibly others, would transport patients to the hospital. When Grandview, St. Anne's, and La Crosse hospitals consolidated with St. Francis, this service was discontinued. At the same time emergency transportation was provided by the police and sheriff 's departments.

Later the vehicles consisted of hearse-style station wagons (also known as horizontal taxis), squad cars, and in some cases private vehicles. These carriers were usually without skilled medical personnel in attendance, and the time of transporting was often critical for survival. By 1968 the police unit had grown to 5 station wagons on the road 7 days a week. The charge per call was $15.00.

As the law-enforcement and fire department personnel people were only trained in basic survival techniques and were at the scene of an accident or fire to do their work of investigating, fighting fires, and or clearing the scene, proper medical attention was not always available.

Wisconsin recognized the need for higher standards for emergency medical services in smaller communities. The state evaluated local agencies to determine how to improve their operations, and based upon their findings, local law enforcement agencies were ordered to improve their operations.

A true pioneer brings professionalism to La Crosse ambulances

In February of 1968 two sheriff department employees, Herb Garbers and Carl Tabbert, started an ambulance service and called it Tri-State. When it was determined that there was a conflict with their duties as deputies, they sold Tri-State to Walter Gardner. Subsequently, in 1968, a former police officer, Walter "Wally" Gardner took the lead and established this privately run ambulance service for the Coulee Region. He saw the need for better and more professional care in emergency situations. At first, the operation was run from his garage with his wife Joan serving as the dispatcher. Her "office" was their back porch.

This then was the beginning of Tri-State Ambulance, and with it the beginning of modern ambulance service in the La Crosse area.

Wally was a pioneer who aggressively pursued changes for better medical care en route to medical facilities. To get more professional employees, he sponsored several students at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, in an, "Emergency Medical Technical Training" program. This innovation eventually led to putting the first paramedics in emergency vehicles in 1985. In recognition of his work, Wally was elected President of the Wisconsin Professional Ambulance Association in the mid 1980's.

A joint effort of St. Francis and Lutheran hospitals with Tri-State ambulance established the "Pre-hospital Advanced Care and Education" (PACE) program in 1983. The purpose was to provide standards and procedures for better patient ambulance care en route to a hospital.

In 1986 PACE contracted with an independent consultant, "The Fourth Party Inc." to provide guidance regarding ambulance/paramedic services. The evaluation authored by Jack Stout, ascertained the La Crosse market was not big enough to support competing ambulance services without a tax subsidy. In the mid 1960's alderman Pat Zielke (pictured at left) suggested a central emergency communications system, but the idea was not acceptable to the fire, police, or sheriff 's departments.

The Coulee Region needed a support system that could coordinate emergency calls from citizens outside the city of La Crosse including the remainder of the county, some Minnesota towns along the river, and other areas just outside the county. The complexity of who should respond, at what level, when, and where needed a plan with structure and coordination. In the early 70's it was recognized that an emergency communications system was essential.

An emergency 911 plan was first considered in 1978. Funding for this project required new radios for all emergency vehicles involved and a dispatch center. A historical event occurred in 1980 when for the first time there was a joint session of the La Crosse aldermen and the La Crosse County supervisors to resolve questions that crossed normal boundary lines.

911 Emergency System becomes a reality in La Crosse

At this time Pat Zielke was the mayor of La Crosse (75-97), and Charles Pierce was the county board chairman (78-85). All forms of funding and other details were eventually resolved, and in January of 1983, a 911 dispatch center became a reality.

In July of 1985 Steve and Cheryl Paar established MedStar Ambulance Service based in...