About Us
Putnam County Emergency Medical Services was established September 1975. The Putnam County Commission took over staffing the ambulance service and providing the service to the citizens of Putnam County. Prior to that date the only ambulance service available was a private service under the Supervision of Sam Channell. This was a combination of two different privately owned services; United and Allied ambulance services that were primarily based out of the funeral homes in the county.
The beginning of Putnam County Emergency Medical Services was a much-needed change in 1975. The County placed three ambulances in Eleanor, Poca and Teays Valley.
A short time later, the County Commission decided to base all units at one central station in Winfield. Initially there were eight Full Time EMTs, First Responders and MICPs, as well as many volunteers that manned the units. The County’s dispatch service was also located at the famous Blue Building on Courthouse Hill for many years.
The initial shifts were 48 hours on and 48 hours off. There was an extra float person on every shift so it would allow for everyone to take a day off and still have the shifts properly covered. Initially when the service began, crews were responsible for all 911 calls in the County, as well as the routine transports and out-of-town transports.
Since then Putnam County EMS has undergone drastic changes in years past. For the past several years we have had 5 full-time 911 ambulances located in Poca, Teays Valley, Hurricane, Buffalo and Winfield. We also have special details in the County that need coverage, so additional units are brought online at various times to ensure that the County is covered properly.
As of May 2010, Putnam County EMS had 32 full-time Employees and 29 part-time employees. We have made great changes to the service while still remaining the same employee-friendly type of agency that our County has come to be fond of. It’s the type of service that each employee knows each other and we strive to provide the best possible patient care available. The County has made a conscious effort to keep some things the same. Such as the same quality patient care and concern and to make an extra effort to make the patient comfortable in their time of need.
