Emergency Medical Services

On November 16, 2020, Allina Health Emergency Medical Services (Allina EMS) became the new ambulance provider for the City of River Falls and surrounding communities including Clifton, Pleasant Valley, River Falls, Oak Grove, Troy, Kinnickinnic, and Prescott.  

Allina EMS will continue to operate from existing ambulance stations in the City of River Falls and Prescott. All current River Falls EMS full-time staff and most of the part-time staff will transition to Allina EMS and continue to serve our community.

This planned service transition comes after a multi-year process to evaluate the feasibility of continuing to provide ambulance services as a City function.

 In 2017, for the first time in the department’s 45-year history, the River Falls ambulance service was operating with a funding deficit and predicted to do so for the foreseeable future. The City was faced with making significant staffing changes and potential cuts in order to sustain the service. 

 An independent third-party consultant and City staff completed feasibility assessments in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Both concluded that a transition to a qualified non-governmental organization (NGO) was the most viable alternative.

With the concurrence of the River Falls EMS Advisory Board and City Council, staff issued a request for proposals for a qualified third-party ambulance service. As a result of that process, the City chose to partner with Allina EMS.

Allina EMS is one of only five agencies operating in Wisconsin that are fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services and is regarded as an industry leader throughout the country. In 2017, they were recognized by the National Association of EMTs with a National EMS Award of Excellence. 

Learn more about Allina EMS here.