Hello

Three Forks Area Ambulance (TFAA) is a 501.c.3 non-profit organization separate from any other agency. We are run by a board of directors and operate with an all-volunteer staff of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs), and certified drivers. Like the rest of the folks in our community, these volunteers work full-time jobs, raise families, and enjoy recreating in our beautiful state. But unlike others, they leave family gatherings, holidays, and jump out of bed in the middle of the night responding to emergencies.

 

EMTs are the backbone of our staffing and must pass a 120-hour training course to get licensed by the state. To maintain their license, they take continuing education courses each year and attend monthly training meetings.

 

EMRs have similar requirements to EMTs but their training course is shorter and they cannot respond to calls or transport patients without a qualified EMT. EMRs are a critical force multiplier that are proficient in common forms of patient care and allow us to increase our staffing levels with a lower entry point for new volunteers.

 

Drivers are certified by the state in Traffic Incident Management or Emergency Vehicle Operations and must also work with in-house trainers to get signed off before driving the ambulances on dispatched calls. TFAA provides all the necessary training for new drivers and this is a great way for interested volunteers to begin with our service.

 

Our three Ambulances serve the community in a variety of ways. Ambulances 1 and 3 are our primary units for patient care and respond to the calls we receive from Gallatin, Broadwater, or Jefferson counties. Ambulance 2, the grandfather of the bunch, is our standby ambulance for events, high school sports, and can be outfitted for special duties.

 

As a training service, TFAA often welcomes pre-med students from MSU to serve alongside our volunteers while here for school. These students usually live in Bozeman and will often stay at the station to be available for calls. They always respond with a senior EMT and often certify to drive as well as perform patient care.

 

The TFAA service area encompasses over 500 square miles of Gallatin, Broadwater, and Jefferson counties including Three Forks, the Willow Creek Rural Fire District, everything between Three Forks and the western half of Logan, and down the Madison to Greycliff.

 

As a non-profit, TFAA does not receive any property tax funds and meets its financial obligations entirely through donations, grants, insurance billing for transported patients, and fundraising activities.

 

Like all volunteer organizations, there are times our crew cannot make a call that comes in. The American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance service based in Bozeman serves as our primary back-up and also provides Paramedic assistance for critical patients. On any critical call, AMR is automatically dispatched when TFAA is called so that the community has coverage. Manhattan Fire Department and Central Valley Fire Departments also provide back-up coverage. TFAA has also backed up those services when they needed additional assistance.

 

The Valley has excellent mutual aid support, but like all parts of rural Montana, that doesn’t mean help is only a short time away. In the rare times TFAA cannot make a call, AMR can be up to an hour out as they only run two ambulances at night for all of Bozeman and backing up surrounding agencies. That’s why we constantly stress personal preparedness and offer First Aid/CPR classes in the community. TFAA responds to over 90% of the pages from dispatch and depending on where you live, you may even have an EMT show up in their personal vehicle while the ambulance is en route so that they can provide care to you or your loved one sooner.

 

Here's a sample of our calls from July of 2024.

53 total calls including:

• 17 transports to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital ER (BDH)

  • 4 required a Paramedic from AMR for pain management

• 12 patients that declined transport (we call these refusals) – these were mostly motor vehicle accidents and traumatic injuries

• 3 medical alarm welfare checks

• 1 structure fire to be medical back-up to Three Forks Volunteer Fire Department

• AMR provided mutual aid on 5 calls

  • 4 calls that transported patients to BDH

  • 1 patient declined transport

• 2 calls to Country Jam to assist on-site medical staff

• 2 hazard calls

• 7 calls cancelled by Law Enforcement or the Fire Department prior to us arriving on scene

• 1 call with two dead-on-arrival patients turned over to the Coroner

 

TFAA crews also support special events like the NRA and High School Rodeos with on-site medical staff and rapid transport for any injured athletes or attendees.