The Shannon County First Responders had a busy year in 2021. The First Responder groups in Eminence and Winona, along with the Birch Tree Volunteer Fire Department, responded to over 500 medical calls and ten vehicle accidents. Medical calls ranged from minor illnesses and injuries to Covid-19 patients, drug overdoses, assaults, attempted suicides, broken bones, heart attacks and strokes. There were 12 fatalities, including one terrible week where there were five in the Eminence area in the space of six days. The Shannon County First Responders also assisted the Shannon County Health Department with twenty five drive thru vaccine clinics. They were also involved in two Search and Rescue operations. This has been the busiest year since the group re-incorporated as an independent non-profit organization in 2015.
This total does not include incidents handled by the Eminence Area Volunteer Fire Department, the Summersville Fire Department and the Timber Community Fire Department that did not involve the Shannon County First Responder group. Contrary to popular belief, First Responders in Eminence and Winona are not part of the Fire Departments. In Birch Tree they are, which can be a little confusing. Regardless, all these men and women are volunteers working hard to keep you safe and help you on your worst day.
It is a dangerous world, and these trained medical responders perform a valuable service, arriving in advance of the ambulance to provide life saving emergency care. Due to strict rules about patient confidentiality, they do not release details of their calls, although if there was an injury accident mentioned in this newspaper, it is very likely they were there. They would like to remind everyone to have your address posted prominently so they can find your home quickly in an emergency.
The group is currently funded entirely by donations. The group received about six hundred dollars in donations from the community last year, and another hundred from the “Amazon Smile” program where Amazon donates to a charity of your choice with every purchase. No grants were received in 2021. “We are grateful to the community for all the donations that make our work possible,” Shannon County First Responders President Allen Ford said. Funds go to purchase medical equipment, safety items like masks, and replacement parts for equipment. “An example,” added Bill O’Donnell, the group’s training coordinator, “is the AED, the famous defibrillators that can shock a stopped heart and make it beat again. They need new electrode pads every time, and often need new batteries too. That costs about $200 every time they are used.” The First Responders do not receive any funding from fire department dues, taxes, medical bills, health insurance or any source other than donations and they never charge for their services. Donations to help their work are appreciated and can be sent to P.O. Box 140, Winona, MO 65588 or made at any Security Bank in Shannon County. Donation boxes can be found in many area businesses. All donations are fully tax deductible.
To learn more about the Shannon County First Responders, check out their Facebook page. If you have medical training and would like to join, please send a message through that page.
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