The passage of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly’s ordinance 19-021 is providing better emergency medical coverage to the Mat-Su Borough already.
The borough has nearly completed hiring an additional 25 full-time Emergency Medical Services responders. The addition of the 25 new hires allows EMS to staff two additional full-time ambulances that are ready to respond around the clock.
“We know it will improve service by some measurable amount,” said MSB EMS Deputy Director Gary Klink. The rate of calls has doubled since 2010. Currently, ambulances respond to 26 calls per day on average. The previous four ambulances were stationed in Palmer, Wasilla, and two near Meadow Lakes. One of the additional ambulances will be stationed in Talkeetna permanently, cutting down on response times for emergencies.