“Helping and meeting people, that’s really the best part of being an EMT (emergency medical technician), that, and being able to do something positive for my community,” said Danny Evarts, Woolwich’s newly appointed ambulance director. Evarts made it official Thursday, July 20 by accepting the selectboard’s offer. He had been been serving as the department’s EMS  lieutenant and second assistant deputy director.

Evarts has called Woolwich home for 27 years. When he heard the town could use more first responders, he joined the fire department in 2019, the year Woolwich EMS began offering the town 24/7 ambulance coverage.

“I became a Basic EMT in January 2020 just around the time the COVID-19 pandemic started,” he told Wiscasset Newspaper. He said he enjoyed the work so much he took the required training and became an Advanced EMT. “I never dreamed of ever doing something like this. When the opportunity came my way I made up my mind to get involved and fell in love with the profession,” added Evarts. Along with serving in Woolwich he occasionally does per diem work for Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service in Damariscotta.

Evarts became a volunteer of Team Rubicon, a national and international non-government organization specializing in disaster response. “In 2020 I went to the Navajo Nation in Arizona and worked in two different hospitals starting in the community of Chinle and later transferring to Kayenta. The following year they sent me to do hospital work in Gallup, New Mexico,” he said. Last year Evarts took part in a Team Rubicon relief effort in Ukraine. He served as a medical unit leader, leading volunteers in a relief effort for displaced people fleeing the Russian invasion. He has also been a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary since 2018, serving as a certified EMT. This past year, the Coast Guard deployed him to the southern border in Texas to work as a logistics unit leader assisting the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and the Border Patrol at a migrant processing center.

Evarts is looking forward to his new duties and plans shortly to meet individually with every member of the department. He says the challenges for the ambulance service here are same as they are for every other small community – finding and keeping personnel. He said Woolwich has 16 members, among them two paramedics. “Most of the others are Advanced EMTs; we have four Basics and five drivers.”

Starting this month, members who live within an eight-minute drive of the fire station can be on stand-by at their home. If they live further away, or are working per diem from out of town, they have to stay at the station. Two members serve 12-hour shifts at a time.

“Something we’re trying to do is attract more per diem personnel,” said Evarts, adding he plans to continue being on call and filling in as needed. “It’s a small department and everybody occasionally covers for somebody else.” The ambulance department will continue to rely on MC-1 when needed, he added.

Evarts is grateful for the opportunity to be ambulance director and thankful for the support the department receives from the community. “People have been very good about their commitment to the ambulance service and we’re grateful for their continued support at town meeting.” New recruits to the ambulance service are always welcome, he said.

Evarts said he enjoyed working under Brian Carlton, EMS/ambulance director since February 2017. Carlton led the effort to provide local 24/7 ambulance coverage. Under his tenure, first responder membership grew and a second ambulance was bought. His resignation took effect June 30.