LAS VEGAS — A pair of first responders who started an ambulance company 15 years ago to solve local emergency response problems have built one of the largest EMS services in southern Nevada.
Community Ambulance now operates more than 100 ambulances across Clark County, a significant expansion from the three vehicles the company started with in 2010.
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Brian Rogers and Robert Richardson founded the company after identifying gaps in emergency medical services. Rogers has worked in Las Vegas ambulance services since 1996. Richardson worked as a firefighter paramedic with Henderson Fire.
“We ran into a problem when the other ambulance company wouldn’t come down and take our patients in Henderson,” Richardson said. “The hospitals were backed up, rescues were backed up.”
The obstacles prompted Rogers and Richardson to act on earlier discussions about starting their own ambulance company.
Growth across Clark County
Community Ambulance initially provided 911 backup services for Henderson. The company’s service area has expanded to cover 65% of Clark County, including the Las Vegas Strip and the airport. The company handles 90% of special events in Las Vegas.
“They came and said, we want you guys to have the strip, put our best foot forward,” Rogers said. “That’s when we jumped up to 65%.”
The company employs a staff of 750.
Rogers said the company addresses the needs of Las Vegas’ diverse population by providing multilingual services.
“If I needed help and I couldn’t speak their language, I’d be scared,” Rogers said. “We try and make these people not as scared.”
Richardson said the company has exceeded initial expectations.
“This was just going to be a little ambulance thing that we would just help ungridlock the problem, help our community out by doing that and then it just flourished,” Richardson said.
Community Ambulance responds to close to 98% of calls on time, exceeding the general standard of 90%, according to Rogers and Richardson. The performance has resulted in millions of dollars being reinvested into the community to improve services.
“It’s not just, hey, give us a call, we’ll pick you up and we’ll transport you,” Richardson said. “It’s how do we provide a solution to a problem that our community has?”
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