West Des Moines, IA

In December of 2014, the City of West Des Moines EMS contracted with the Iowa Department of Public Health to form a transport team for highly infectious patients. We are one of five ambulance services in the state of Iowa who have contracted to provide this service. These teams were formed in response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the need to have trained and equipped teams to treat and transport patients. Our team consists of a group of paramedics and EMTs that are specially trained in treating and transporting patients that have highly contagious disease. Each team receives state and federal funding for specialized equipment, protective gear, and overtime pay for the team. A selection of members from our team has gone to the University of Iowa periodically for training on treating and transporting patients with infectious diseases. Our team currently consists of the following members: Deputy Chief of Training Brian Rayhons, Division Chief Doug Harms, Division Chief Tim Maher, Division Chief Carolyn Johnson, Division Chief Andy Littler, Lt. Troy Fick, Lt. Spencer Gratton, Lt. Kellen McManamon, Paramedic Kyle Martens, Paramedic Paige Gowin, Paramedic Alex Fouts, Paramedic Morgan Beers, 

 Here is the press release from IDPH regarding the formation of the teams: IDPH News

 Here are some pictures from the Infectious Disease Response Team's most recent training on November 1st, 2024. We collaborated with University of Nebraska Medical Center and Mercy Ambulance on this training.