Schuyler County Ambulance District

06/10/2026

🚑Meet the Team: Austin Ridgeway, EMT 🚑

At Schuyler County Ambulance District, we're proud to introduce the dedicated healthcare professionals who answer the call when our community needs them most. Today, we're excited to spotlight Austin Ridgeway, EMT!

🏡 Hometown: Lancaster, Missouri

🚑 Current Role: EMT

⏳ Years in EMS: 8 Years

💙 Years with Schuyler County Ambulance District: 8 Years

Why Austin Loves Serving Schuyler County:

For Austin, EMS is more than a career,it's a way to give back to the community that has supported him throughout his life.

"It allows me to serve and give back to the community and its citizens that have helped me my entire life in their time of need."

What Austin Brings to the Team:

Austin describes one of his greatest strengths as adaptability, but those who work alongside him know he brings much more to the table. His calm presence during emergencies, reliability, strong work ethic, and willingness to help wherever needed make him an invaluable member of our team. Whether responding to a critical call, mentoring newer providers, or helping behind the scenes, Austin consistently demonstrates a team-first attitude and dedication to patient care.

When He's Off Duty...

When Austin isn't serving the community, you'll likely find him:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Spending time with his wife and kids
🌲 Enjoying the outdoors
🔧 Working on vehicles and projects
🥃 Relaxing with a good bourbon and cigar

Favorite Team Quote:

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."
— Harry S. Truman

That quote perfectly reflects Austin's approach to EMS-focused on serving others, supporting his teammates, and always putting the mission first.

Thank you, Austin, for your nearly eight years of dedication, professionalism, and commitment to the citizens of Schuyler County. We are grateful to have you as part of the SCAD family! 💙

📢 Be sure to follow along as we continue our Meet the Team series and introduce more of the healthcare providers who respond to emergencies and care for our community every day.

06/09/2026

Meet the Team: Hope Gerdes, EMT

At Schuyler County Ambulance District, we are proud to introduce the dedicated healthcare professionals who serve our community every day. Today, we're excited to spotlight Hope Gerdes, EMT!

Hope currently resides in Brookfield, Missouri, and has been a valued member of the Schuyler County Ambulance District team for 1 year and 2 months. She brings a wealth of experience to our district, having worked as a dispatcher for 23 years and serving as an EMT for the past 5 years. In addition to her role with SCAD, Hope works with several EMS agencies throughout Missouri.

When asked what she enjoys most about Schuyler County Ambulance District, Hope shared that it's the family atmosphere that makes the difference.

"On the difficult days, I know I have a strong support system behind me. On the good days, we celebrate the wins together."

Hope is especially proud of her ability to be a patient advocate and to bring a sense of calm during chaotic emergency situations. These qualities help ensure our patients receive compassionate, high-quality care when they need it most.

When she's not serving the community, Hope enjoys spending time with her five children and eight grandchildren. She is an avid reader, loves working outdoors with her plants and yard projects, and enjoys visiting local greenhouses whenever she gets the chance.

One of Hope's favorite quotes perfectly reflects the compassion she brings to EMS every day:

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
— Leo Buscaglia

Thank you, Hope, for your dedication, compassion, and commitment to serving the residents and visitors of Schuyler County!

💙🚑 Be sure to follow along as we continue our "Meet the Team" series and introduce more of the healthcare providers who respond to emergencies and care for our community every day.

06/08/2026

🚑 Welcome to the Team! 🚑

The Schuyler County Ambulance District is proud to introduce and welcome two outstanding professionals to our team and community: Blake Roberts and Tyler Johnston.

Blake Roberts has joined Schuyler County Ambulance District as our full-time Assistant Administrator. Blake brings 16 years of experience in Emergency Medical Services and is both a Registered Nurse (RN) and Paramedic. In addition to his extensive clinical background, Blake has served in several leadership roles throughout his career, bringing valuable experience and knowledge that will help strengthen our organization and the services we provide to our community.

Tyler Johnston has joined our team as a full-time EMT. Tyler has dedicated the past 5 years to EMS and has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving patients and communities. His experience, professionalism, and passion for helping others make him a great addition to our district.

Both Blake and Tyler share our commitment to providing high-quality emergency medical care to the residents and visitors of Schuyler County. We are excited to have them as part of our team and look forward to the positive impact they will make within our organization and throughout the community.

Today, two of our providers, Hope Gerdes, EMT, and Ruben Ferell, Paramedic, began orienting Blake and Tyler to our district, operations, and community. Their guidance will help ensure a smooth transition as our newest team members become familiar with the people, resources, and unique needs of Schuyler County.

Please join us in giving Blake and Tyler a warm Schuyler County welcome! We are excited to have them serving our district and the citizens of Schuyler County.

As part of our ongoing efforts to connect with the community, we will continue introducing members of our team in the coming weeks. We believe it is important for our residents to know the dedicated healthcare professionals who respond to emergencies, provide care during critical moments, and serve our community every day.

🚑 Welcome to the Schuyler County Ambulance District family, Blake and Tyler! 🚑

06/03/2026

Yesterday, four members of the Schuyler County Ambulance District team attended an 8 hour Human Trafficking Interdiction Training in Macon Misssouri. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to Chariton Valley for sponsoring this important training opportunity, and a special thank you to Daniel Nash for sharing his knowledge and expertise with attendees.

Human trafficking is often hidden in plain sight, and emergency responders are in a unique position to recognize warning signs during medical calls, transports, or patient interactions. Victims may present with untreated medical conditions, injuries, fear, anxiety, malnutrition, lack of personal control, or may be accompanied by someone who speaks for them or limits communication.

For EMS providers, this training is important because it helps us:

▪️ Better recognize potential signs of exploitation or abuse
▪️ Improve patient safety and advocacy for vulnerable individuals
▪️ Understand how to respond appropriately while maintaining patient trust and safety
▪️ Strengthen coordination with healthcare, law enforcement, and victim support resources when needed

At Schuyler County Ambulance District, we believe ongoing education is essential to providing the highest quality care to our community. While we hope to never encounter situations involving human trafficking, being trained to identify and respond appropriately ensures we are prepared to recognize concerns, support vulnerable individuals, and help connect them with appropriate resources when needed.

Thank you again to Chariton Valley and Daniel Nash for investing in education that strengthens rural emergency response and patient advocacy.

06/01/2026

05/28/2026

Over the past two days, the Schuyler County Ambulance District team has completed Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) training-an advanced educational course designed to strengthen how EMS providers assess, prioritize, and care for seriously injured patients before they ever reach the hospital.

PHTLS focuses on rapid trauma assessment, identifying life-threatening injuries, critical decision-making, and providing evidence-based care during emergencies where every second matters. Whether responding to a motor vehicle crash, farming incident, fall, industrial accident, sporting injury, or other traumatic emergency, this training helps our providers recognize hidden injuries, make faster treatment decisions, and provide the right care at the right time.

In rural communities, EMS providers are often the first-and sometimes only-advanced medical professionals with a patient during critical moments. Continued training like PHTLS helps ensure our crews are equipped with the latest trauma care practices to deliver high-quality emergency care when our neighbors need us most.

At Schuyler County Ambulance District, we are committed to continuous education because investing in our team means investing in the safety and health of the community we proudly serve.

Thank you to our dedicated staff for spending the last two days sharpening their skills and continuing their commitment to excellence in patient care. 🚑💙

05/28/2026

🚑 Tonight our EMS team participated in advanced training focused on toxicology emergencies, including overdose recognition, poisoning assessment, medication-related emergencies, and rapid treatment interventions in the prehospital setting. These trainings help ensure our providers stay prepared for the wide variety of calls we may encounter in our community.

Continuing education is an important part of EMS because emergencies involving medications, illicit substances, household chemicals, and accidental exposures can happen anywhere and affect patients of all ages. By regularly training on these scenarios, our crews strengthen critical thinking, improve patient assessment skills, and stay current on life-saving treatments and protocols.

We are proud of our team’s commitment to ongoing education and to providing safe, effective, and compassionate care for the communities we serve every day. 🚑💊

We extend our sincere appreciation to Andrew Mericle with EMS Education - University Hospital for providing expert instruction, and to our Medical Director, Dr. Stilley, for his continued leadership and commitment to clinical excellence.

05/18/2026

This week, we proudly celebrate EMS Week May 17th-23rd and recognize the extraordinary men and women of the Schuyler County Ambulance District who answer the call every single day.

To our EMTs, Paramedics, and support staff - thank you! Thank you for the long hours, sleepless nights, missed holidays, and the countless sacrifices you make to serve our community with compassion, professionalism, and courage.

You are there during some of the most difficult moments in a person’s life. Whether responding to emergencies, comforting families, providing lifesaving care, or simply offering a reassuring hand, your dedication does not go unnoticed. The care you provide extends far beyond medicine-it brings hope, comfort, and strength to the people of Schuyler County when they need it most.

This profession requires resilience, heart, and an unwavering commitment to others. Our community is stronger and safer because of each one of you. We are deeply grateful for your service, your sacrifice, and your continued dedication to caring for others, often before yourselves.

From all of us at the Schuyler County Ambulance District -Happy EMS Week. We are honored to stand beside such an incredible team.

05/13/2026