Some Carroll County residents and local leaders are asking how long people may have to wait for an ambulance after reports of long emergency response times, WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reported Tuesday.
The concerns came into focus at an October meeting, where McKenzie Police Chief Ryan White described a crash in which a woman waited beside the road for 48 minutes. "The lady lay on the side of the road for 48 minutes. 48 minutes. Almost got the front end of her car taken off by an 18-wheeler," White said. He and other local leaders called the recent delays unacceptable.
Priority Ambulance provides ambulance service across Carroll County, which covers about 600 square miles. An additional unit was brought in after the October meeting, but some residents are not sure that will be enough.
Nina Dennington, who lives in the county, said she worries most about family and neighbors who live far from help. "If you're in a wreck, that's scary, because we don't know if there's going to be anybody to help you out," she said. Dennington said she is even considering buying medical equipment, such as an anti-choking device, to keep at home.
The problem is not limited to Carroll County. A study presented at the American College of Surgeons' 2025 Clinical Congress found that total EMS call times averaged 92.8 minutes in rural communities, compared with 74.1 minutes nationally. That measure covered the time spent getting to the scene, caring for the patient and transporting them. The college noted the research was presented as an abstract and had not yet been peer reviewed.
Doug Carter, CEO of the health care recruiting firm Ironside Human Resources, said fixing staffing shortages could take time because ambulance services are competing for workers nationwide. "You're competing on a national level for hiring versus just locally," Carter said, adding that pay could be a key factor in attracting more paramedics and EMTs.
Raw 100.5 will keep following response times and staffing in Carroll County as local leaders look for solutions.
Sources: WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News; American College of Surgeons