Resident urges council to put ambulance district for Box Elder and New Underwood on the agenda

A longtime Box Elder volunteer urged the City Council to schedule formal consideration of an ambulance district shared with New Underwood, saying the area currently lacks a local ambulance service and response times can seriously affect patient outcomes.

Theresa Mellon of Cardinal Drive told the council she has been on the Box Elder Fire Department for nearly 22 years and said call volume has risen sharply: “We have gone from 150 calls a year to 1,200 calls a year,” she said. Mellon said roughly 900 of those calls occur within city limits and referenced about 699 medical calls in 2022. She said residents have planned public meetings and petitions and that New Underwood’s council and Rapid City Fire have expressed support for the idea; Rapid City personnel told Mellon they would stop routinely responding to the area once a formal ambulance district is in place.

Mellon outlined service goals including two fully staffed ambulances in‑house 24 hours a day with a third as backup to meet state requirements, and said the district would aim to provide both basic life support and advanced life support. On cost she estimated start‑up costs anywhere from $2,000,000 to $5,000,000 and noted that because South Dakota currently does not classify EMS as an essential service the district may be ineligible for certain state funding.

Council members asked clarifying questions about geographic scope and financing; Baker (finance officer) and other staff indicated the council will take the request under advisement and schedule follow‑up. Mellon said the preferred route is to put the item on an agenda for public consideration rather than have the city unilaterally establish a district.