Partners
Gilpin County covers 150 sq miles of mountainous terrain and has a unique transient patient population. We work hand in hand with several organizations that we depend upon for support and assistance.
Dispatch Centers
Most of our calls begin with a 911 call to one of 2 dispatch centers. Black Hawk dispatches all fire and ambulance calls within the city limits of Black Hawk. Gilpin County dispatches all calls outside of the Black Hawk City limits.
All of the dispatchers are instrumental in getting the pertinent information from callers to make sure the crews have prior knowledge of patient condition and correct location information. Both centers are equipped with EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) protocols to be able to provide pre-arrival instructions to the caller to assist the patient if possible.
Fire Departments
One of the 3 fire districts in Gilpin County will respond with the ambulance on nearly every call we go on.
We work closest with Black Hawk Fire, as 2 ambulances and crews are housed at the Black Hawk fire house with full time paid firefighters for 48 hour shifts. Just as with a family, each shift is responsible for chores, upkeep and meal planning. Black Hawk Fire responds to all calls within the Black Hawk City limits and any calls between Black Hawk and the junction of Hwy 6 and Hwy 119.
The 3rd ambulance and crew is stationed at Timberline station 2 in the north end of the county to reduce response times to a minimum and maximize our services to citizens living in or visiting areas north of Hwy 46 and for back country responses. Timberline is a volunteer fire district that responds to all ambulance calls in the north end of the county and into Boulder county as well.
Central City fire, also a volunteer district, responds to all calls in the areas including and surrounding Central City.
Law Enforcement
The local police departments from Black Hawk and Central City, Gilpin County sheriffs office and state patrol are in frequent contact with the ambulance crews. Law enforcement officers are often on scene prior to EMS activation on most accidents. The officers provide critical information about what to expect and condition of the patients which helps our crew tailor its response to the incident. In turn, when patients become unruly, or would put others at risk by their behavior, Law Enforcement from all agencies have always been readily available to help us with any concern.
We provide blood draw services for Black Hawk PD at their department and for State Patrol and Sheriff’s department at the Sheriff’s office or jail. We have provided on scene blood draws at DUI checkpoints.
The Special Services Unit (SSU) is comprised of members from Black Hawk Police Department and Gilpin County Sheriff’s offices. Cole VanEpps represents The Gilpin Ambulance Authority as the only tactical medic on this team. He also provides supplies and medical training to the other members of the SSU team. There were 2 SSU deployments in 2010. Gilpin Ambulance crews were available at both incidents for additional support.
Flights
Most of the time, medical practices require basic stabilization and support and a slow and steady transport to definitive medical care. Sometimes, the condition is much worse and requires a drastic intervention. Gilpin Ambulance Authority relies on the expert response of 2 elite transport services available in Colorado. Flight For Life and Air Life provide access to critical life saving materials and procedures when every second counts against our patients survival.
Foothills RETAC
The Foothills RETAC (Regional Emergency Medical & Trauma Advisory Council) is a non-profit Medical & Trauma Advisory Council serving Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand, & Jefferson counties. It is a planning and advisory council serving the medical and trauma needs of the region. There are 11 RETAC boards state wide. The members are appointed by their respective County Commissioners. Gilpin Ambulance has 2 members, Zane Laubhan, Executive director and Mark Fellers, Paramedic.