The West River Ambulance (WRA) has served the Hettinger and Adams County area since 1944. In the 81 years of its existence, WRA has reached a number of prestigious milestones. The first came in 1968 when we were the first North Dakota ambulance service to have its volunteer members receive formalized training. The second came in 1987 when we were the first volunteer ambulance service in North Dakota to employ a full-time paramedic and provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) services to our coverage area.
Today, WRA continues our tradition of caring as a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance service with ALS capabilities covering a large service area spanning several counties and two states with approximately 300 calls per year. We are a hospital-based service utilizing full-time EMS personnel and supplemental employees (volunteers). Our full-time staff includes two Paramedics and one EMT. Excellent supplemental employees who work full-time provide coverage and take calls to ensure no 911 call goes unanswered. Support our full-time staff. Our supplemental staff is composed of EMRs, EMTs, and CPR Drivers.
As part of our commitment to preserving and providing high-quality emergency prehospital care to the communities served and surrounding areas, we continually offer different courses to the public, including EMT, EMR (first responder), First Aid, and CPR. Students who complete the EMT and EMR courses are eligible to join our service upon successful passing of the NREMT written and practical tests, which they are prepared for during the course.
WRA would like to sincerely thank all members, past and present, who have faithfully served and committed a portion of their busy lives to our service. It takes a genuine commitment to leave a warm bed in the middle of the night to go out and work in the cold ditch, rescue someone who crashed their car, or perform CPR to the point of physical exhaustion just so mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, aunt or uncle, gets to go home to their families again. So, support your local EMS crew because you never know when you might need to go for a ride with them!
West River Ambulance is Pediatric Prepared
Cardiac Ready Community
In a cardiac event, the first five minutes are the most critical. Do you know what to do? Help your community become Cardiac Ready by calling West River Ambulance to schedule a free Hands Only CPR and AED class at 701-567-6015.
West River Ambulance
307 Adams Ave.
Highway 12
Hettinger, ND 58639