The North Jefferson County Ambulance District Quarterly Newsletter

After June brought quite a bit of excitement and stormy weather to the St. Louis area, July brings festivities, fun, and mid-summer heat. Alongside the summer fanfare, North Jefferson County Ambulance District turns 50! For our 50th anniversary, we would like to say a special thank you to everyone who has supported us through the years, we appreciate everything you do. Alongside our celebrations, we want to highlight some of the most important programs and posts we have now and that are coming up in the future. Strap in, we’ve got a lot to share! 

Community AED Program

Our community AED program will improve community safety by providing instant access to AED when needed and hands-on CPR/AED training as well. We’ve set up 40 AED stations throughout the community, which may seem like a lot, but when cardiac arrest strikes, you have limited time to respond. It takes four minutes for brain cells to begin dying once cardiac arrest occurs, so every second counts at providing CPR and resuscitating the victim. 

Our team will provide the necessary training for anyone interested in properly utilizing the AEDs or that wants to become CPR certified. We want to ensure the community is as safe as possible, so we will invest as much time as needed to help educate anyone interested. 

Opticom Intersection System

The Opticom North Emergency Vehicle Preemption System along Hwy 30 from Hwy W to Hwy 141 will ensure drivers are safer and more cognizant of the emergency responders heading to a call. This emergency response system, in partnership with TOMAR Electronics and High Ridge Fire Protection District, enables emergency response teams to provide faster response times while keeping bystanders safer. 

Not only is the community safer, but first responders will have less wait times and less potential accidents. A preemptive warning will provide them a clear path while reducing traffic in the far lane, lowering the odds of a crash or blocked traffic when an emergency strikes.

The Knox Box Program

The Knox Box is a weather-resistant door or wall-mounted storage device that houses a spare key for your home. This box is only accessible to you and authorized users like our emergency responders. You can use this as a secure method for storing your house key, which first responders can use in emergency situations to gain access to the home. This saves firefighters and paramedics time that could be spent assisting you instead of finding alternative means of getting into your home.

Our team helps you sign up for and install the Knox Box in your residence if this is an avenue you would like to pursue.

The details behind this service are: 

• All ambulances carry a secure safe that is accessible only to authorized personnel.

• Every time an employee accesses the box, the date, time, and employee information is logged.

• Annually, the residents with a box installed will receive a site visit to ensure all is still operative and still required. 

• Contact information shall be obtained and updated annually.

This free program ensures timely access for emergency responders while safeguarding residents’ well-being.

50 Years Down and We’re Just Getting Started

It’s been half of a century since North Jefferson County Ambulance District was created and we haven’t slowed down a bit. Alongside our AED program, we have a variety of classes and programs available as community resources, including babysitting preparedness classes, CPR and first aid training, safe kids sleeping courses, and a sharps container disposal service.

North Jefferson County Ambulance District was founded in 1975 to serve the residents living in areas of northern Jefferson County. Our District includes 40 paramedics and operates two ambulance hub locations and emergency crews across Jefferson County. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Stay safe, and look forward to future updates.