Wabasha City Achievements 2024

By: Judy Arney
At January's City Council meeting, City Administrator Caroline Gregerson presented Wabasha's 2024 achieve-ments. Though it came at the end of a lengthy meeting dominated by pressing issues, the presentation highlighted important progress across all city departments. When things run smoothly in a small town, it's easy to take the little things for granted. The streets get plowed after a snow-storm. Emergency calls get answered. The lights stay on. But Gregerson took a moment to shine a light on these quiet victories and larger achieve-ments for Wabasha in 2024.Under the leadership of Am-bulance Director Ryan Mark-ing, the city's Ambulance De-partment had its busiest year yet. In 2024, the department answered 919 emergency calls—a striking 31% increase from the previous year. The Department made significant strides in community edu-cation, training 140 people across 19 CPR classes and conducting an Emergency Medical Response course for five participants. One of the more notable achievements was completing the first full year of Advanced Life Support (ALS) services. ALS rescue ambulances, staffed by spe-cially trained paramedics and firefighter/medics, brought a new level of care to the com-munity. Unlike basic EMTs, these paramedics can adminis-ter a wide range of life-saving medications during transport to the hospital. Throughout the year, the team delivered 82 prehospital medications and performed 29 ALS infusions during patient transfers.The department's dedicated team of 17 paid-on-call mem-bers and eight full-time and part-time staff worked tire-lessly, logging an impressive 17,520 service hours. Their commitment ensures that when residents dial 911, help is always just minutes away.For over 30 volunteers, the Wabasha Fire Department isn't just a job but a calling. Under Fire Chief Darren Sheeley's leadership, the department has become so well-respected that they have more applicants than openings.
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