One of our most critical service organizations needs your help.
The Lakeside Quick Response Unit (QRU) provides emergency medical care and ambulance transportation for Lakeside and Somers and the rest of the Lower Valley and the Upper West Shore areas.
The QRU consists of a dedicated group of board members and 15 active responders who are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or paramedics.
In 2012, the Lakeside QRU responded to 299 calls for service (of which about 75 percent were medical-related, and the other 25 percent were trauma-related). They respond to all kinds of emergencies, provide medical aid, and ambulance transport as needed – even at the top of Blacktail Mountain, in the worst of winter conditions.
To better serve the community, the Lakeside QRU recently moved to its new, larger facility (a few hundred yards from its older facility on Bills Road).
While the new facility stands, it is far from complete, and donations are desperately needed to complete several projects.
For example, Scott Eisenlohr, president of the Lakeside QRU, said that the area on the second floor that will serve as crew quarters needs to be finished. Eisenlohr also explained how the parking lot still needs paving, and so does the helicopter pad for the Kalispell Regional Medical Center A.L.E.R.T helicopter. He hopes that donations will help with the costs for the completing the remaining work.
The Lakeside QRU also needs donations for various equipment and supplies needed for operations. For example, it needs a washer and dryer to clean not only uniforms, but towels, sheets and linens for the stretcher, and other items used during emergency response.
Eisenlohr said that donations will not only go along way to complete unfinished work, and improve operations, but also to help better serve the community.
For example, the new facility also includes the Lakeside QRU Community Hall where the Lakeside QRU would like to host a monthly “Movie Night” so the community can gather for a “family affair” to watch movies. “Game Nights” when residents can also meet and play various games and such are also envisioned. The new Lakeside QRU Community Hall is a great community space and available free of charge for community nonprofit organizations, and for rent for other functions, such as weddings, parties and other events.
The Lakeside QRU also seeks volunteers with trade and professional skills to help support operations and administration. And they are also seeking volunteers to serve as first-responders.
So please consider volunteering your skills, or contributing a much-needed donation, to help support the Lakeside QRU – the kind of organization you want to be there, when you need them.
And be prepared for several special events taking place at the Lakeside QRU during “National EMS Week,” May 19-25.
For more information, or to learn how you can help, please send an email to the Lakeside QRU: [email protected].
You can also send mail to PO Box 911, Lakeside MT, 59922, and visit lakesideqru.org for more information.