North Fork EMS is formed…

On Nov. 6, voters overwhelmingly approved the establishment of a special district for the North Fork Ambulance. Just over 83 percent of Paonia, Hotchkiss and Crawford area voters said “yes” to the special district. By a smaller, yet still very favorable margin, a mill levy was established to fund the special district. Five board members were selected — Gregg Angelovich, Marcus Roeder and Daniel Miller for four-year terms, and Larry Hughes and Bonnie Eisenberg for two-year terms.

After the results were posted, the North Fork Ambulance board of directors expressed its appreciation for the overwhelming support.

“The formation and funding of a special district will provide the core financial support needed to maintain quality ambulance service in three communities, upgrade and replace aging equipment and ambulances and retain and attract on-call staff members and provide them with quality EMS training,” said Kathy Steckel, NFA director.

The ambulance service is responsible for responding to all 9-1-1 calls in a 1,500-square-mile area over three counties as well as maintaining three stations in the region. North Fork Ambulance has been contracted to provide ambulance service for the first six months of 2019 in order to give the newly formed North Fork Ambulance Health Service District time to get many details in order before the actual transition to ambulance service by the District. Currently, July 1st is the goal for this transition. The North Fork Ambulance Health Service District will be using the trade name: North Fork EMS.

Monthly District Board meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6 pm at the North Fork Ambulance Headquarters, 110 East Hotchkiss Ave in Hotchkiss. The public is welcome to attend.

For any questions, please call the North Fork Ambulance office at 872-9111.

Mission

North Fork EMS is committed to provide compassionate, excellent, and timely emergency medical services to all people within our service area, and to promote greater health and wellness in our community through non-emergent services and educational programs.

Vision

This organization will strive to meet the ever-changing nature of healthcare, emergency services, and public safety through education, continuous training, and the incorporation of new technologies and services.

Through planning, staffing, and resourcing, we will provide the leadership, EMS management, and educational services necessary to fulfill our commitment to the community. We will do this in a fiscally responsible manner and with the professionalism expected by those we serve.

This vision will allow us to continue as an integral and irreplaceable component of the larger EMS system. 

Core Values

• Compassionate, respectful, patient-focused care
• Community oriented injury and illness prevention
• Purposeful investment in the people and tools that improve our efficacy
• An inclusive, welcoming and supportive work environment
• Respect and recognition for the community support and selfless volunteerism that provided our communities with emergency medical services from 1969 to 2019 through North Fork Ambulance Association

Our Service Area

The Service Area currently includes approximately 1,550 square miles, 75 miles of paved two-lane highway and 300 miles of County roads ranging from paved to primitive. The service from Hotchkiss extends west on Highway 92 to Payne Siding, and east on Highway 133 to Paonia. From Paonia, the Service Area continues north up Stephen’s Gulch to the Mesa County Line, and northeast of Paonia on Highway 133 into Gunnison County through Somerset to the top of McClure Pass. The Service Area extends southeast from Hotchkiss on Highway 92 through Crawford and into Montrose County, and runs to Mile Marker 56 at the Gunnison County Line on Black Mesa. The three communities currently served are bound together by a powerful landscape that encompasses mountains, rivers, desert and agricultural land. With elevations that range from 5,000 to 11,000 feet, the area allows for a variety of features. Notable among these features are: The Black Canyon National Park, The West Elk Wilderness, Curecanti National Conservation Area, waterways such as The North Fork of the Gunnison River, the Gunnison River and their major tributaries, the Anthracite, Muddy, Smith Fork and Leroux Creeks. There are also scenic byways that reach past the recreational areas of Crawford and Paonia State Parks.