By Gerald Hay

Johnson County Emergency Medical Services will celebrate 50 years of providing pre-hospital care to Johnson County residents and communities in 2025.

Creation of Johnson County MED-ACT was the result of the EMS Systems Act passed by Congress in 1973 that provided funding for more than 300 EMS systems across the country and funds for future system development and growth.

The Kansas Legislature passed a bill, also in 1973, requiring expansion of EMS with a goal that 40% of the Kansas population would have access to emergency mobile intensive care (paramedic care) by 1976. The first Johnson County MEDACT paramedic training program began in 1974 at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

The first emergency call for the newly created Johnson County MEDACT service occurred on March 23, 1975. The call involved a girl with trouble breathing in Prairie Village. She was transported to a hospital for treatment.

Back then, MED-ACT was dispatched only to type 1 calls, which were the highest priority. Most fire departments in cities and fire districts operated their own rescue squads that transported type 2 patients (lower priority).

The department had 12 employees/paramedics staffing ambulances at two locations: one in the downtown Lenexa fire station; the other in Prairie Village Public Works.

Fifty years later, MED-ACT now responds to all 9-1-1 calls and medical emergencies, totaling more than 55,000 on average annually, in Johnson County and to the Spring Hill area of northern Miami County from 18 fixed ambulance stations.

Since 1975, 895 employees have worked for the department for different periods, including 185 current employees with a combined 1,443 years of service to the county.

“MED-ACT’s 50th anniversary is a milestone reflecting the unwavering dedication of its paramedics, EMTs and support and administrative staff since 1975. Our legacy is still being written as we grow and adapt to advancements in technology and clinical care enhancements,” Chief J. Paul Davis said.

“Our community remains our highest priority; we are committed to helping ensure Johnson County remains an extraordinary place, second to none, where people want to be, work and live. Our future is bright!”

Johnson County’s EMS services are recognized by state and national organizations, including the American Heart Association.

Last year, almost 60% of MEDACT patient transports involved residents 60 years old and older with 32% (more than 17,600) in the age range from 65 to 84.

Falls and sick calls each represented more than 20% of requests for medical assistance followed by breathing problems, 9%; chest pains, 5.5%; and stroke, 3.5%.

Also, since the CPR Training for Seniors program began in the fall of 2023, 910 participants have completed the 32 MED-ACT courses. The next session is scheduled at 8:30 and 10 a.m. April 19 at the Sunset Drive Office Building in Olathe. Registration is available at connect.jocogov.org/cpr.

When asked what they think is most important for the county to provide, respondents in the 2024 Community Survey listed providing emergency medical services as one of the top five priorities.

In 2024, MED-ACT opened its new Station #1131 to serve Shawnee and north-central Johnson County. The building was built on land that was once a horse corral.

Relocation also occurred last year of an existing ambulance/ crew to the new Station #1135 that was renovated from a former car wash in Lenexa.

The Sunflower Fire Station, now being constructed just north of the Panasonic Electric Vehicle Battery Facility, will house a MED-ACT ambulance/crew and personnel from the Northwest Consolidated Fire District.

MED-ACT is also currently building Station #1156 to serve western Olathe and southwest Johnson County.

Both new stations are scheduled to open by the end of this year.