Howard County Ambulance

12/16/2025

🚑 Meet the Crew Monday!

Say hello to EMT Xavier Barton! 💙

Xavier joined Howard County Ambulance District with a meaningful purpose — to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and continue a family legacy of service to the community. That inspiration drives him every day as he grows in his role and builds his skills in EMS.

His favorite part of the job? “Helping patients and learning new skills.”

Xavier brings curiosity, compassion, and a desire to learn to every shift — qualities that make him a strong and steady part of our team.

When he’s off duty, you’ll find him enjoying sushi or sashimi, and his favorite movie is the animated classic Howl’s Moving Castle. 🎬🍣

Help us welcome Xavier and celebrate the next generation of EMS professionals serving Howard County!

12/12/2025

📣Introducing Our New Educational Series Starting in January📣

The Howard County Ambulance District has placed a 1% countywide Sales Tax Proposal on the April 7, 2026 ballot. As required by Missouri law, this proposal includes a mandatory 50% rollback of the ambulance district property tax, recalculated each year based on the previous year’s sales tax revenue.

Beginning in January, we will launch a weekly, fact-based series called Sales Tax Proposal Q&A Wednesday. Each week, we’ll share clear, educational information about topics such as:
- How the Sales Tax Proposal works
- How the mandatory property tax rollback is determined
- How EMS services are funded
- What ALS and BLS mean
- The staffing required to maintain in-house EMS crews
- Facility needs and long-term planning
- How EMS operations function in Howard County

These posts are designed to increase transparency and help the community understand how the ambulance district operates and how funding models are structured. As a public agency, we will not encourage any voting outcome. Our role is to provide factual, neutral information for public awareness.

We look forward to sharing this weekly Q&A series with you starting in January.

12/12/2025

🚑 We’re Growing to Serve You Better
Howard County Ambulance District has purchased property at 205 South Williams Street as part of our long-term plan to expand EMS facilities. Our current building cannot house all emergency vehicles, doesn’t have space for four on-duty in-house responders, lacks training, storage, and office space.

“To provide the level of service our community deserves, we must have the space and infrastructure to house multiple crews and the equipment they rely on. This property gives us the ability to grow responsibly and prepare for the future.”
- Frank Flaspohler, Director

The expansion plans and timeline are being discussed and developed by the HCAD Board of Directors.

12/09/2025

🚑 Meet the Crew Monday!

Say hello to EMT Caitlyn Atwood! 💙

Caitlyn joined HCAD after seeing an opportunity to truly make a difference — while also building a future with room to grow in EMS. She brings enthusiasm, compassion, and a strong desire to serve the community.

Her favorite part of the job?

“Definitely the people. My coworkers are so fun to work with and always share their knowledge. The patients are great too — they usually have interesting stories when they have a chance to really engage in conversation. There’s just never a dull moment.”

When she’s off duty, Caitlyn loves to unwind with her favorite movie, The Equalizer. 🎬

We’re grateful to have Caitlyn on our team, serving the community with energy, kindness, and a genuine passion for learning and helping others.

12/07/2025

A bright night in Downtown Fayette!
🎄🚑✨

Thanks to everyone who came out — we loved being part of the Lighted Christmas Parade.

12/05/2025

👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️ Our Biggest Challenge: Staffing

Like EMS agencies nationwide, we’re facing a staffing shortage. To fully staff two EMS crews around the clock, we need 14 full-time employees. Right now, we only have 8.

That means our crews work 37–63% more hours than the federal full-time standard just to keep one crew on duty 24/7.

A bigger facility and more EMTs are critical to keeping response times low and service reliable for Howard County.

12/04/2025

A new facility isn’t about luxury — it’s about safety, speed, and sustainability.

What do you think is our biggest facility challenge?

12/02/2025

📣 What really happens behind those ambulance doors? 👩‍⚕️

Ever wondered what it’s like inside an ambulance — where life-saving care begins before the hospital?

🚑 This week, we’re giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the gear, the crew, and the split-second decisions that happen on every call.

👀 Ever been inside an ambulance? Tell us in the comments — what surprised you the most?

11/29/2025

💙 Happy Small Business Saturday!

Today we’re cheering on the amazing local businesses that keep Howard County running — and keep our EMTs well-fed, caffeinated, and occasionally supplied with emergency snacks.

If you’re out shopping today, show some love to the folks who support our community year-round.

And if you see one of our ambulances rolling by…
don’t worry — we’re not shopping, we’re just on call. 😉

11/28/2025

🚑 Black Friday at HCAD!

No deals.
No doorbusters.
No long checkout lines.

Just your local EMS crew…Your Survival Team...standing by in case someone goes a little too hard on the shopping, the crowds, or the leftovers.

Remember: if you’re running on caffeine, adrenaline, and regret — we’ve got you covered.

Happy Black Friday, Howard County!

11/27/2025

11/26/2025

🚑 In Case You Missed It
Our October column, “Inside the Ambulance: A Day in the Life of an EMT,” ran in the Fayette Advertiser and Glasgow Missourian.

It highlights what a real shift looks like for our EMTs — from preparing the truck, to responding to emergencies, to long hours at the station.

Check out the full article below to see what goes on behind the scenes at HCAD. 👇