When the Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District began operations in 1975 at its original station at 301 Mill St. in Festus, people called for emergency services only a few times a day. A lot has changed since then, and now, 50 years, later, JPAD receives 10 times the number of calls it got in those early days, Chief Tracy Howell said.
“In the first 365 days – Sept. 22, 1975, to Sept. 21, 1976 – they had 1,092 calls,” said Howell, a district employee for about 25 years who served as its chief since 2022. “In 2024, JPAD ran 10,760 calls for service. We are on pace this year to run approximately 10,850 calls.”
JPAD covers an approximately 180-square-mile area in the southeast portion of Jefferson County, serving about 63,000, according to the district’s website.
Howell said the district budget for this year is about $8 million.
JPAD currently has 41 full-time employees and 55 part-time employees. In 1975, the district had about seven employees.
Keeping up with the ever-increasing number of calls for service is a source of pride for the agency, Howell said.
JPAD officials and employees will acknowledge the agency’s half century of service in the community with a public open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at its headquarters, Station 6, 1235 N. Truman Blvd., in Crystal City.
“This is to honor current and former employees, community partners and the residents who have supported JPAD since its inception,” Howell said. “We invite the community to come celebrate with us and see what we have accomplished over the last 50 years.
“We should be able to showcase where we started to where we are now.”
During the open house, JPAD will offer station tours; equipment and skills demonstrations; a walking history tour and opportunities to meet with JPAD team members. The district will also serve light snacks.
Paramedic Lisa Broombaugh and Lt. Kevin Boyer use a medical training mannequin to practice procedures.
History
JPAD moved from its original station to 619 Collins Drive in Festus in 1981. That house is still operating, along with four others. The agency added another house at 1281 Abbey Lane in Pevely in 1997; 2410 Hwy. 61 south of Festus-Crystal City in 2004; 2926 Parthenon Drive in Olympian Village in 2010; and the headquarters in 2010.
In addition, JPAD entered into an agreement in 2010 with the Mapaville Fire Protection District to build a joint facility off Plass Road in Mapaville, and that house opened in 2011. At present, JPAD does not run crews from that location, though, Howell said.
Howell is the district’s fifth person to run the district. The chief job originally was named administrator, and those who held the position before her include the late Eugene Butler, 1975-1977; David MaFarland, 1977-1997; and Curt Stueve, 1997-2022. The job title changed to chief during Stueve’s tenure.
Gary Stefan, deputy chief, has worked full-time with the district since 1988. He said he has witnessed the tremendous population growth in the district, along with the great increase in calls for emergency response.
“We had one duty crew and one crew that was on call for all the population (when Stefan started working at the district),” he said. “We were probably running five calls a day, on average. A really busy day was 10 calls. Today, it’s not unusual to run 30, 35 calls in a day.”
This 50-year anniversary medal was given to JPAD employees.
With advances in technology, the job of emergency medical technician has become more complicated over the years, Stefan said.
“The things we do now you would normally find in the air service or in a critical ICU setting,” he said. “We provide advanced ventilation with a ventilator. We have protocols adopted where we do advanced mechanical ventilation, which usually was seen in the hospital only previously.
“We do advanced cardiovascular services, more work on the heart. We use more medications that are specific to the pathologies we’re dealing with.”
While some parts of the job have become more difficult, some of the equipment EMTs use to transport patients has made that part of the job easier.
“When I first started, we used to have to lift the stretcher manually,” Stefan said. “These (new stretchers) have a automatic lift system, along with inside the ambulance, that take the axial load off me, my back, my knees. Had we had these 30 years ago, our longevity in our employees who are older would probably be longer.”
The equipment is needed since the size of the general population has increased over the years, Howell noted. Equipment used to be made to carry those up to 450 pounds, and now it must be built to accommodate much more.
“We now have equipment that can accommodate up to 700 pounds,” she said. “We are looking at new equipment that can accommodate up to 1,000 pounds.”
JPAD employees, newer ones as well as veterans, said they appreciate working at JPAD.
“I’ve worked here about a year,” said Savannah Murrie, an EMT from Dittmer. “Everybody is really close. I feel like it’s a close district.”
Sydney Stewart of Festus, who has worked as a part-time EMT with the district for about a year, agrees.
“Everybody’s willing to help,” Stewart said. “We’re all very close. Everyone welcomes you in, just like a big family.”
Ken Strathmann, the district’s chief operating officer, said JPAD’s leaders strive to create a supportive working environment, and that helps with employee retention.
“We don’t just talk about it, but prove it in our actions,” Strathmann said. “It’s important to note most of our employees have been here more than 15 years. We have several who have been here more than 30 years.”
Strathmann said he has worked in the district for 34 years.
The current JPAD Board of Directors includes Terry Thomas, chair; Samuel Richards, vice-chair; Darryl Reed, treasurer; Ron Weeks, secretary; Denise Rhives, board member; and Steve Vaugh, board member.