02 Broadcaster Press April 29, 2014 www.broadcasteronline.com Meet Alan Hanson By David Lias david.lias@plaintalk.net VERMILLON – Alan Hanson is getting settled into his office at the William Radigan Fire Hall and EMS Building after being hired as the city’s new EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Division Chief. It means he’s in charge of everything that has to do with the community’s ambulance services, from its staffing and equipment, to its vehicles. Hanson was born and raised in Livingston, MT, and “grew up in the fire business,” he said. “My grandfather on my mom’s side helped start the rural fire district that I grew up around. And then when Dad and Mom got married, my grandpa convinced my dad to join the fire department.” In 1975, Hanson’s father was named the chief of the rural fire department in Livingston, and held that position for 21 years. “Mom and Dad were among the first EMTs in the state of Montana,” Hanson said. “I went on my first fire call when I was 16. I always hung around the fire station … if I was helping Dad, I’d end up washing trucks, sweeping floors, stuff like that. “One day, there was nasty grass fire, and one of the old volunteers said, ‘you’re coming with me,’ so I did my official fire call response then. I didn’t join the fire department until 1980. I was still in high school at the time, and the principal didn’t have a problem with it.” Eventually, Hanson, who once aspired to be a police officer, became involved with the ambulance service. “EMS has really been where my fulltime career has been all of my adult life,” he said. His early career includes working as an EMT in Billings and Hardin, MT. “I became one of the first paramedics in the state of Montana while I was at Hardin,” Hanson said. He was recruited to work with the fire department in Red Lodge, MT, as assistant fire chief and EMS director there. From there, he worked for Medcor, which provides EMS services for industry. Medcor, at the time, was serving the Stillwater Mines, an underground hard rock mine. His work with Medcor allowed him to move back to Livingston and once again become involved with the rural fire department there. “It wasn’t long and they made me the assistant chief of operations there,” Hanson said. • AUTOMOTIVE COLLISION REPAIR • PAINT • FRAMEWORK • GLASS REPLACEMENT HOURS: M-F • 8AM-6PM SAT • 9AM-3PM 1205 CARR STREET • VERMILLION • 605-670-0471 blainesbodyshop@gmail.com His latest place of employment was as fire chief in Williston, ND, where he served a seven year stint. “There was inklings of a boom coming, and there were only three houses for sale in my price range when I moved there in 2007, but the town was a lot like here – very friendly community, clean, nice, very, very pleasant.” The economic boom from the “oil patch” activities in the region has had a dramatic effect on Williston. “It was a town of 12,000 people in 2007, and today, it has a population that they can’t even calculate,” Hanson said. His first day on the job in Vermillion was April 16. He hopes to implement procedures that will improve the community’s EMS services. “We’re not coming into this looking to change just to change,” Hanson said. “We’re looking at trying to evaluate all of the needs, and seeing what we can do to enhance those. It’s more like tweaking stuff – we’re going to try to make things better. “No door is closed,” he said, “so if there is a direction we can go, we truly want to be able to go through that door and look at those options. There are some really neat programs Alan Hanson, who has spent his entire life involved with fire departments and emergency medical services, is Vermillion’s new EMS Division Chief. His first day on the job was April 16. (Photo by David Lias) that are out there nationally, and we just need to evaluate to see if they would work here.” In his short time here, Hanson has the opportunity to accompany the EMS crew as they responded to a fatal accident near Vermillion last week. “It was a good opportunity for me to see how these guys function,” he said. “It was one of those ‘all hands on deck’ kind of calls. You had an opportunity to see everything from how EMS responded to how firefighters responded, and everyone else – law enforcement, the DOT, and the city public works officials.” TODD’S ELECTRIC SERVICE “The Line To Power” Design/Build • Fiber Cabling • Commercial • Residential Service Calls • Boom Truck with Auger • Trenching Serving the Beresford and Vermillion Areas 1-800-560-2518 1221 Cornell St., Vermillion, SD • 605-624-5642 201 NW 13th St., Ste. 3, Beresford, SD • 800-560-2518 While experiencing sadness with the tragic outcome of the accident, Hanson was given an opportunity to assess local emergency responders as they dealt with this very serious situation. “I tell you what, these guys went beyond what I would expect to see, and did a lot of very caring, respectful things,” he said. “I saw that in so many ways, and it was so pleasing to me. It was one of those things that just make you proud. It was something that I saw that was really great. It was purely a cooperative event.” Hanson is married, and his wife is still in Williston, making arrangements for a hopefully quick sale of their house there, while he lives in a small apartment here in Vermillion. “Hopefully, she’ll be able to move down here soon, and then we’ll be able to buy a house,” he said. Earlier this week, Hanson met with staff at Sanford Vermillion Hospital. That meeting, like every other encounter he and his wife have had with residents here, has been very positive, he said. “I’m still grabbing the phone book and trying to learn what services are available here, and where the Laundromats are at,” he said, laughing, “and I had just a wonderful time this last weekend driving around the county to get a feel for the area.” Hanson hopes to go on patrol rides with both police and sheriff personnel soon to learn more about the community and the best routes to take when responding to an emergency. Town Square Town Square I & II o 505 507 W. 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