Nestled between the Ohio River and the beautiful rolling farmland of Kentucky lies Oldham County. A quiet, pastoral area where you’re more likely to hear the mournful drone of a distant train than the traffic sounds associated with a large city. It’s a place where everyone still waves to their neighbors—and strangers for that matter—as they drive down the street. It's home to prize-winning horse farms, historical homesteads, and caring people.
Oldham County is a 197 square mile area of Kentucky named for the American Revolutionary War Colonel William Oldham and has a population of around 60,000. Situated adjacent to Jefferson County, Oldham County residents enjoy the serenity of a country setting with the convenience of living just a few minutes to Louisville, Kentucky’s largest metropolitan area.
Oldham County EMS is a tax-based advanced life support (ALS) agency that provides both emergency 911 services and non-emergent medical transfers to the county citizens. The service staffs an average of five trucks daily and utilizes a tiered system to provide on-the-spot ALS coverage when it’s needed the most.
The department is assisted by a great group of fire departments that provide first response. Their assistance allows our patients to receive skilled treatment even before our first unit makes it to the scene.
Medical
Oldham County EMS is working to become the most progressive service in the state. All ambulances are equipped with 12 lead EKG capabilities, allowing for advanced EKG readings of patients and the ability to transmit those readings to the hospital for early activation of cardiac catheterization labs for heart attack patients. Later in the fiscal year, we will begin electronic patient care reporting, allowing for more standardized and more in-depth documentation.
Oldham County EMS also utilizes IO-drills, Drug Assisted Intubation (DAI) and Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI) medications, and advanced pain management. BLS members administer epinephrine for anaphylaxis, Albuterol treatments for asthma, and aspirin for initial treatment of heart attacks.
Apparatus
The primary ambulance for Oldham County EMS is a MedTec Type III on a Ford 450 chassis. These give us ample room to work while still allowing us to maneuver through the little country roads that make up so much of the county. As with any growing agency, we also have a few older ambulances including a Freightliner and an van-type ambulance that still keeps going strong. All of our vehicles are constantly being cycled through a rigorous preventive maintainence program so our personnel can concentrate all of their efforts on the patient.
For our ALS response vehicles, we utilize Ford Explorers. As a tiered system, we can ensure that our patients receive the highest level of care needed while not limiting the department's resource.
When we need to go off road, we use a 2008 Polaris all-terrain vehicle. The Polaris was generously donated by Baptist Hospital Northeast and is a shared resource for EMS and the surrounding county fire departments.
Board of Directors
Oldham County EMS is directed by a three-member Board of Directors who are appointed by the Oldham County Fiscal Court. David Thompson is Chairman, Dr. Thomas Clark is Vice-Chairman and Charles Stoess is Treasurer.
Command Staff
Oldham County EMS is under the direction of Ron Wilder, with assistance from Deputy Directors Terry Stock and Mike Heilman. Major Stuart Crawford is responsible for governmental and regulatory compliance as well as safety and Major Todd Early is responsible for our progressive training program.
EMS Headquarters
The OCEMS headquarters is located at 3639 West HIghway 146 in LaGrange, Kentucky. Though we operate on a 24/7 schedule, the offices are only open 9-5, Monday through Friday.
EMS Dispatch
Oldham County Dispatch, or OCD as it is commonly referred to, is a centralized dispatch center that consolidates communications for 911, the Oldham County, LaGrange, and Pewee Valley Police Departments, Oldham County Sheriff’s Office, Oldham County EMS, and all Oldham County Fire Departments. All emergency runs are initiated by OCD through 911 calls from the public or requests for dispatch from other agencies.
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