UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 28, 2024

Ambulance service change won’t affect DSU EMT training

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After more than 30 years of serving the St. George area, Dixie Ambulance will no longer be the emergency transport provider, leaving the area to northern Utah based provider Gold Cross.

Dixie Ambulance announced it ceased its operations on April 14 at 7 a.m.

In a letter addressed to the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, Dixie Ambulance president Tony Randall and vice president Mike Miller commented on the situation. 

According to the letter, “[Randall and Miller] have deemed it a privilege and honor to have served our community these many years.” 

The announcement and closure came following a four-day hearing between the two providers on which could serve the area best.

In a 66-page ruling recommendation issued by David Patton, executive director of the Utah Department of Health, it was determined that Dixie Ambulance did not have adequate resources in terms of staffing, vehicle maintenance and financial security, as well as multiple other issues that put the service in question of state EMS regulations.

The transition, however, is not expected to affect student training in Dixie State University’s Emergency Medical Technician training program, said EMT program director Shanna Alger. 

“We’re sad to see [Dixie Ambulance] leave, but Gold Cross is stepping in and letting us continue to train our EMTs,” Alger said.

The official transfer will be completed on May 1. Multiple former Dixie Ambulance employees will train with Gold Cross, and St. George and the surrounding areas will not be left without ambulance services, said Paul Patrick, the director of BEMS.

“The public will not go one minute without somebody providing ambulance and paramedic services to them,” Patrick said.