FORT BENTON — Geraldine is a rural community with just about 200 residents. And out here communication is generally by word of mouth or local chatter at the feed store. Mountain View Co-op Foundation is giving a grant to the Geraldine Ambulance Service to receive StarLink in Motion - high-speed internet delivered via satellite - for their ambulance.
Kim Hickman an EMT says most times when we get calls, when we arrive in our barn, that's the last place that will have actual cell service or maybe radio service. So once we leave the barn, we lose communication to the outside world pretty much. So there's been instances that we've gone on scene and we've needed to call for a paramedic to come meet us somewhere, and we could not get that out.
Ambulance and EMT communications between Geraldine and Fort Benton, along with other agencies, has been difficult, living in this rustic part of Montana.
The system is for the Starlink in Motion Internet Service. So that'll be mounted on the ambulance. EMT Kevin Hickman says it'll provide us with communications pretty much everywhere that we serve in in our in our service area.
Amber Hurt Operations Chief for Memorial and Geraldine Community Ambulance says You know, I just can't express the gratitude towards Mountain View enough because this is how we survive as volunteer agencies. We couldn't survive without grants, honestly. And so having agencies that are willing to support small services, rural areas like this is huge.
StarLink in Motion will provide the communications Geraldine Ambulance Service needs to better serve this rural area.
Questions or comments about the article? Click here to email reporter Paul Sanchez.
