SMCAS Operations
Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service (also
known as SMCAS – pronounced smă’-cŭs)
is a municipally owned and
operated Advanced Life Support ambulance service which serves the
greater Niles
and Buchanan area in southwest Michigan. SMCAS
has been proudly providing emergency medical care to
any and all
that is in need for over 35 years.
SMCAS provides
emergency ambulance coverage
to Niles City, Buchanan City, Niles Township, Buchanan Township, and
Bertrand
Township in Berrien County as well as Howard Township and part of
Pokagon
Township in Cass County. We provide
emergency medical response of the highest pre-hospital level to over
45,000
residents and approximately 275 square miles. We
also provide ambulatory, wheelchair, emergent and
non-emergent medical
transfers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Our primary base
of operations is
strategically located at 2100 Chicago, Rd in Niles, MI to provide fast
and
effective emergency response to all surrounding areas and we are able
to
respond to the majority of our area within 8 minutes and 12 minutes to
the
outlying areas from our primary base. We
provide 2 ALS ambulances 24/7 with an additional ALS ambulance from 10
a.m. to
10 p.m. During the day the
third
ambulance is stationed in Buchanan at Buchanan Twp. Fire Department
during peak
times to minimize response times. We
are
also able to staff additional ambulances (up to 6) and emergency
response
vehicles if the need arises.
In addition to
fully staffed
ambulances, SMCAS also has a licensed ALS non-transporting Ford
Expedition, an
off-road 6x4 John Deere Gator, and a 20 foot MCI (Mass Casualty
Incident)
Trailer. For ambulatory and
wheelchair
patients needing transport for doctor appointments or for any other
reason,
SMCAS has a wheelchair van to provide this service from 8 a.m. to 8
p.m. Monday
through Friday.
Through mutual
aide agreements
SMCAS also is willing to assist in medical responses to neighboring
communities
and to regional/national disaster events if the needs arise but our
primary
responsibility is to the emergencies within our own coverage area. We
also
provide standbys at area events including:
Local/State Police Department exercises/operations
Local high school sports events
Redbud Track and Trail motocross races, including the Fourth of July Nationals
Apple Festival at the Niles fairgrounds
River Festival at the River Front Park in Niles
Buchanan Days events
National Night Out in Buchanan
Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs
And any other event where the potential for illness or injury may be increased.
