RIVER FALLS, Wis. — An ambulance breakdown in River Falls during an emergency call has renewed concerns about the reliability of the area’s ambulance fleet.
Two of the five Allina Health Emergency Medical Services rigs failed within 24 hours, officials said. One would not start after a hospital transport, and another broke down for unknown reasons, stranding a crew and a patient, KMSP reported.
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Paramedics say similar incidents have occurred in the past. Allina Paramedic Judy Seeberger criticized the aging fleet, calling a 17-year-old truck “not a reliable” unit.
“The other half of my brain is going through all the different workarounds that I have to ensure that the equipment that should work, if it doesn’t work, what do I do?” Seeberger said. “I like my job, I want to stay working there. But I think it’s important enough when patient safety is concerned and leadership doesn’t seem to be doing a darn thing to address these concerns, what other options do we have?”
Paramedics say these problems aren’t new. During a July response to a boat explosion, they encountered similar equipment issues. Earlier this month, one ambulance had steering troubles and a faulty radio, failures that may violate Wisconsin law.
Allina took over River Falls ambulance service five years ago and has replaced rigs in other cities. The company says units are serviced every 8,000 miles with onboard diagnostics, but it did not address River Falls’ ongoing fleet issues.
