Our service spotlight for this edition of the Missouri EMS Connection features Osage Beach Ambulance Service. Osage Beach is in Camden County in the Lake of the Ozark region of the state along Highway 54; about 41 miles west of Jefferson City and 10 miles east of Camdenton.
Osage Beach Ambulance Service is a city-based progressive advanced life support ambulance service that was started in February 1982. A staff of 16 crew members, including paramedics and EMTs, serves an area of over 10 square miles. They employ part-time and full-time employees and staff a 24-hour a day ambulance.
What is unique about Osage Beach Ambulance Service is that despite providing care to 5,000 residents who are in Camden County year-round, that population increases up to 100,000 visitors at any one time during the summer months. Osage Beach prides themselves on the quality of care that they provide to their full-time residents as well as the tourists.
They run about 1,300 calls per year out of one station with one ALS unit. The majority of calls do come during the summer months. During holiday weekends and special events, a second unit is put into service to lessen the workload and improve response times. Ambulances are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment to provide the best pre-hospital medical and trauma treatment.
The ambulance service has protocols for advanced procedures include RSI, Adult IO, 12 lead EKG, TXA, needle quick trach and surgical cricothyrotomy, conscious sedation, chest decompression, transcutaneous pacing, and cardioversion/defibrillation. Excellent patient care is always the goal for Osage Beach Ambulance. Staff members are expected to remain current in ACLS, PALS, and PHTLS in addition to protocol review and continuing education that is offered throughout the year.
Osage Beach Ambulance is also involved with various community support projects including providing medical support for events such as Polar Plunge, Veterans Day Parade, Trunk or Treat, Bike Fest, Lake Regional Hospital community events, and many others. They also offer CPR classes to the public throughout the year.
The Lake of the Ozarks area has grown in the last decade, and Osage Beach is no different. Projected growth over the next couple of years includes construction with the addition of 140 condominiums, an apartment complex on Nichols Road, and a 26-acre family entertainment district that will feature amusement park rides, hotels, amphitheater, and more. New home construction is also on an all-time high post-pandemic. More recently, there was an announcement of a sports complex coming to the area soon.
If you are looking for a great place to visit during the summer, check out Osage Beach.