The Warren County Ambulance District is progressing — not that the past will be forgotten.After working under long-time district Chief Ralph Hellebusch, who retired this summer, Tim Flake was promoted to chief. Flake came to the district in 1994 as an EMT and was promoted through the years.If anyone knows Hellebusch’s way of doing things, count Flake among them. As the new chief, he says some things will stay the same — “Why fix anything that isn’t broken?” he asked rhetorically — and invite change where change is needed or required by medical protocols.If he had been in a hurry for a promotion, he might have gone somewhere else after his first decade or so. Rather, he stayed on.“The community keeps me here,” Flake said.It could be the excitement too. There’s never a dull moment or time for boredom in this line of work.“You walk in the door, and the next thing you know, it’s the end of the day,” said Flake.When Flake became chief, two battalion chiefs were promoted to deputy chiefs. Mike Eskew is deputy chief of operations. Darren Lenk is deputy chief of human resources and IT.Eskew has lived in Warrenton since he was a child. He has family here. He says if someone’s last name is Eskew, he’s probably related to them. He spent about a decade with the Warrenton Fire Protection District and he’s been with the Warren County Ambulance District since 1994.Lenk has five children with his wife, Janette. They live in Washington. By comparison, he’s “new” to the district, having started there in 2002. He previously worked for the Lincoln County Ambulance District.Lenk said it’s true that paramedics have some common personality traits.“We all seem to have a weird sense of humor,” he said. “Compassion, too. You have to be willing to help any and all, under any circumstances.”Paramedics need to be open to change. Training never ends, and medical improvements happen all the time. And like a lot of protection districts, the service area has changed.When Flake started in 1994, the district had one base, and 1 1/2 crews.“I’ve seen a lot of growth in 25 years. The district covers 240 square miles and in 2017 we ran 4,400 calls,” Flake said.“We have four 24-hour trucks on duty at a time.”The district services two-thirds of Warren County. Marthasville Ambulance District services the southern third.“The population has grown, and we have a ton of people traveling through our district,” he said.Eskew said the population grows seasonally with annual events in the community and yearlong activities at Innsbrook and Cedar Lake Cellars, etc.Each day the district receives about 11 calls. Lenk said most ambulance calls are chest pain, falls, strokes, drug overdoes and an overall sick feeling.Flake added, “Drug overdoses, unfortunately, are becoming more and more common.”These are the same types of calls being reported throughout the state, but rural ambulance districts face challenges their comrades in metro areas don’t think about.“We don’t have high-rise buildings, they don’t have combine accidents,” Eskew said.Metro districts have traffic congestion, multiple highway calls and larger crews, while rural paramedics have bumpy, curvy roads that are sometimes impassable, and the closest hospital is 30 minutes away under good conditions.Also, metro units don’t usually come to the rescue of someone they know, and know well. A lot of first responders call that a blessing and a curse. As Flake explained, it’s hard to see people you care about in the conditions they see. On the other hand, they want to help the people they know and love.The three chiefs, combined, have 78 years of experience, and they are entrenched in the community. They have sat on numerous civic boards and committees and belong to various professional organizations. They are a constant sight in the towns they serve.“We’re honest, we’re dependable. We function as a team,” said Flake. “We want the community to know we’re always here for them.”

Tim Flake, center, is the new chief of the Warren County Ambulance District. He is joined by Darren Lenk, left, deputy chief of human resources and IT, and Mike Eskew, deputy chief of operations. The team was put in place following the retirment of long-time chief Ralph Hellebusch this summer. 

Record photo/Kate Miller