Major changes made to improve emergency response times on Lake Minnetonka
LAKE MINNETONKA, Minn. -- First responders are gearing up for what could be an incredibly busy Memorial Day weekend on Minnesota waters.
On Lake Minnetonka in the west metro, this year will be the first with two major changes that first responders with Hennepin Healthcare say are targeted at keeping people safe - all while improving response times.
The Hennepin County Water Patrol is a fixture on Lake Minnetonka, but if there was ever a medical emergency, they'd need to call Hennepin EMS, pick them up on the shore and take them out.
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Starting this year, however, that all changes. Fifteen paramedics will be riding along on these boats for weekends and holidays, starting with Memorial Day weekend.
But that's not the only change. County leaders joined Hennepin EMS at a ribbon cutting at their first-ever remote base in Minnetonka. It will serve as a hub for paramedics serving the western part of the county.
First responders say this will help shave precious minutes off call times and help make better use of resources.
Before Hennepin EMS had that base, they'd have to send crews back and forth between the lake and downtown to get supplies.
They say it's all about keeping people safe. Because on a typical Memorial Day weekend, they're getting hundreds of calls for service.
"I think the water rescue team being with the paramedics on the boat is going to make a really, really big difference," said Hennepin EMS Chief Marty Scheerer. "Now, we'll be right on scene. We'll have a really quick response. We'll have our defibrillator there, we'll have our airway equipment, we'll have all of our equipment there. It's going to be fun."
Scheerer says the agency is anticipating hundreds of calls over the holiday weekend.
He says the agency now having a remote place to call home in Minnetonka will be a game changer.
"The response time improves, the health and wellbeing on the medics improves and we have a better presence as well," he said.