(Atlantic, Iowa) – A pilot program announced by Governor Kim Reynolds for three Iowa counties has now gone “Live,” in one of those counties. During a Wednesday evening meeting (Dec. 6, 2023) of the Atlantic City Council, Erik Johnson, an AmeriCorps volunteer and local paramedic who leads the county initiative, announced the Iowa United First Aid program is up and running as of today (Dec. 6th).

Erik Johnson shows a “Go bag” volunteer emergency responders will have.

Cass County is the first County to put the program into action. Calhoun and Van Buren Counties are not too far behind, according to Johnson. “Including myself,” he said, “We have 13 volunteers. I have 25 AED’s to equip, I’m hoping, 20 volunteers that will be a bridge between the initial 9-1-1 call and when the EMS arrives.”

Those volunteers will cover some sections of Cass County’s 565-square miles. Johnson said volunteers currently reside in the Atlantic, Anita, Wiota, Massena, Griswold, Lewis and Marne areas. There are still some areas of the county that could use additional volunteers, especially in south central Cass County. The goal is to get as many as 20, preferably 30 people to train under the program and serve their areas as initial first responders to emergencies, prior to the arrival of an ambulance.

Cass County received a $50,000 grant in May, 2023, to test the innovative program aimed at decreasing emergency response times in rural Iowa. Total grant funding of $150,000 was made available through the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative for the Calhoun County Public Health Department, Cass County Board of Health, and Van Buren County Hospital. The volunteer emergency responders receive their own “Go Bag” kits, complete with an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator), Narcan (a drug overdose reversal medication), a “stop the bleed” kit, First Aid kit, a pocket mask for ventilation of patients, and a box of gloves. Johnson says each volunteer will also receive a vest that identifies them as a trained responder.

Areas of Cass County with volunteer emergency personnel.

The volunteers are notified, Johnson said by a “Now Force” app on their cell phones. It utilizes GPS, so no matter where the individual is in Cass County, if they are within 15-minutes of a cardiac arrest, they will be notified. The company’s app says “NowForce is a Sophisticated incident management and response technology, fusing critical data and providing real-time comprehensive situational awareness that ignites action. Dispatchers, responders and reporters can share insights in real-time and coordinate efficient, appropriate and rapid response with enhanced field communications.”

For instance, in the case of someone having a heart attack, time is life, and having someone be able to cut-down the response time can potentially save a life. Johnson said “This is a very humbling opportunity. I’m grateful I was approached about it.” Now Force, he said, wants to use Cass County as a Public Relations tool for the project.