The Medical Operations Division maintains responsibility for the provision and oversight of emergency and non-emergency Advanced and Basic Life Support ambulance services in the Rapid City and Pennington County Service area. The Division operates under the medical directon of Dr. Nathan Long. In addition to ambulance services, the Division provides and oversees other non-traditional medical services to include the Mobile Integrated Healthcare Program (Mobile Medic), Paramedic education, Medical Billing, and Special Response Team (SRT) Paramedics.
The Rapid City Fire Department took over pre-hospital medical care on March 1, 2003. The Rapid City Fire Department Ambulances are the primary Advanced Life Support (ALS) provider for the City of Rapid City, portions of Pennington County, Eastern Custer County, and portions of Meade and Lawrence Counties. The Department ambulances cover an area of 3,200 square miles, with a daytime population in excess of 300,000 people in the summer.
Firefighter EMTs and Paramedics are all cross trained in the latest firefighting techniques as well as the latest in medical care. Our staff respond out of seven stations to a wide variety of calls, including fires, cardiac arrests, odor investigations, patient assists, children locked in vehicles and long distance ambulance transfers. While not answering calls, personnel are busy training, conducting fire prevention inspections, presenting public education programs, performing equipment and station maintenance, and participating in physical fitness exercises.
The Rapid City Fire Department also has a Mobile Medic program that was launched in 2016. In 2023, Mobile Medic responded to 2,711 calls for service. They are a single resource community Paramedic unit. The program has several goals, which consist of, reaching the medically underserved and vulnerable populations in our community, connecting patients with the right service at the right time, working with other allied health care providers in our area, reduce personnel and equipment hours for ambulance and large fire apparatus crews by responding to non-emergency calls for service, and to serve as an additional Advanced Life Support provider on significant emergency calls for service and large incidents. Since 2016, the Mobile Medic program has grown significantly. In its initial stages, Mobile Medic provided coverage eight hours per day, five days a week with one provider. In March of 2020, the program began providing 20 hour per day coverage, seven days a week with four full-time providers and a total of five relief providers.
To contact the Medical Operations Division regarding non-emergency transfer or transportation, billing, or with general questions, please call 605-394-4180. For medical emergencies, please dial 9-1-1.
Medical Operations Division Chief
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Medical Operations Section Chief
Lead Mobile Medic
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.