|
Owen County
Owen County lies in
West-Central Indiana and shares borders with Morgan, Monroe, Clay,
Putnam and Greene Counties. With a population base approaching
22,000 persons, our county has been ranked the 4th fastest growing
county in the state. Daily population, beyond permanent residents,
varies upon the influx of persons attending events such as one of
the many annual festivals and local events, visiting McCormick's
Creek State Park, or just commuting through the county. 
Some of
the original staff members of Owen County EMS in
1976
From Left to Right: Russell Lester,
Tony Morrison, unknown. Rick Shields
The Eastern portion of Owen County has
seen the greatest population increase. A literal explosion of real
estate and land development has occurred, with new home construction
growing at a steady pace. 
Owen County
EMS is the only ambulance service operating inside Owen
County and has the responsibility of covering 395 square miles of
terrain and over 683 miles of roadways (including seven state
highways). There are thirteen townships in the county itself, each
with various sized populations. Spencer is the largest town in Owen
County, consisting of approximately 3,000 residents. Larger
businesses and the seat of county government are headquartered in
the Spencer town limits. Other sections of the county contain
typically working class areas with relatively smaller, more
concentrated populations than Spencer. Some of these areas include
the towns of Gosport, Patricksburg, Coal City, Freedom, Cunot and
Cataract. 
Even with the rapid
expansion of the county over recent years, Owen County remains a
largely rural, sparsely populated area. Travel time to many
emergency scenes is often in excess of twenty minutes. Transport
times to the nearest hospital, once the patient is on board the
ambulance can approach 45-55 minutes. It is for this reason in
particular that Owen County EMS upgraded to Paramedic level
ambulance provider in July of 2002.
 Owen County EMS History
Owen County Emergency Medical Services (OCEMS) was
established in October of 1976. At that time the entire staff
consisted of two Emergency Medical Technicians and two
ambulances. Prior to this date there was no organized
Emergency Medical care beyond the local funeral home transporting
patients in the back of a hearse.The first home of OCEMS was the
Spencer Municipal building. We made a permanent home in a converted
gas station across from the old Sherrif's department on Morgan
Street. Funding for OCEMS is provided via local tax dollars and
generated user's fees. Direct control of the OCEMS is the
responsibility of the EMS Director. The director must work closely
with the Owen County Commissioners and the Owen County Council on
administrative and financial issues respectively.
Owen County EMS Fleet with
Owen County Rescue Truck Circa 1988
The past twenty nine
years have brought about numerous changes for OCEMS. Between the
years of 1976 and 1987 the service functioned solely as a basic life
support service. In 1987 the new EMS and Security Centers were
built allowing The Owen County Sherrif's Dept. and Owen County
EMS moved into their new homes. 1988, OCEMS established itself
as an Advanced EMT service provider. With Advanced EMTs on OCEMS
ambulances, we could perform certain Advanced Life Support (ALS)
skills that could help our cardiac arrest and trauma patients.  Advanced EMTs
are trained to start IV lines, interpret EKGs and have a higher
level of patient assessment skills. We realized that while having
Advanced EMTs was helpful, we really needed the additional skills
that Paramedics could provide. In July of 2002, OCEMS became a
Paramedic level provider for Owen County. Having Paramedics at OCEMS
allows us to bring the Emergency Department to the scene of your
emergency. Because our response times and transport times can be
extended, Paramedics can begin treatment as soon as we arrive and
continue that care throughout the transport to the hospital.
Owen County EMS Fleet with Owen County
Rescue Circa 1998
"Medic One"
2005
 | 
