DES MOINES, Iowa — Twenty-nine of Iowa’s 99 counties have no ambulance providing full-time service, KCCI reports. The area serves nearly 430,000 people.
The Des Moines Register said an analysis from the Iowa Bureau of Emergency Medical Services indicated 14 counties also have four or fewer EMS agencies.
Brian Donaldson, director of Sumner Emergency Medical Services, said EMS is not required of cities and counties, and that the risk of a rural victim dying in a crash is 15 times greater than in urban areas, according to a 2007 study.