District History

1974

St. Charles County Ambulance District Created

Citizens of the county vote to approve the formation of St. Charles County Ambulance District on November 5. The initial assessed valuation was $.11 per $100, and those start-up funds were collected during the following 13 months. The District began its first day of operation on December 30. Initially, three units were in operation from bases located at 1421 North Fourth Street in St. Charles, 909 East Terra Lane in O’Fallon and 910 East Pearce Street in Wentzville. At this time, the population of St. Charles County was 118,530.

1977

Additional Base & Ambulance Added

The District added an additional base and ambulance on Harvestowne Industrial Drive. Also in this year, the first District paramedics completed training, allowing advanced life support care to be rendered on a limited basis.

1978

District Relocates

The District relocated the Harvestowne base to 835 Friedens Road in St. Charles. The new base previously served as the County Morgue.

1980

District HQ Relocates

The District relocated its headquarters within O’Fallon from 909 East Terra Lane to 517 Highway 175. Two ambulances continued to operate from the station on East Terra.

1981

New Base Station Build

A new base station was built at 2190 Elm Street in St. Charles. Upon completion of the new structure, the base on Fourth Street was relocated. This currently serves as the District’s Station 26.

1982

O’Fallon Base Relocates

The O’Fallon base relocated two blocks west to 803 East Terra. Also this year, the Augusta First Response Team completed training and began operating on October 31.

1985

New Base Built in St. Peters

The District built a new base station at 4149 Old Mill Parkway in St. Peters. Once work on the structure was complete, one of the O’Fallon-based ambulances moved east to this location.

1986

Ambulance Service Starts in Lake St. Louis

Through a cooperative effort with Lake St. Louis Fire Protection, the District began operating an additional ambulance out of the fire station located at 900 South Service Road in Lake St. Louis.

1987

Wentzville Base Relocates

The District relocated the Wentzville base from East Pearce to 204 South Linn Street.

1988

HQ Moves to St. Peters

The District purchased an existing structure at 4165 Old Mill Parkway and relocated its Headquarters from O’Fallon to St. Peters.

1989

Cottleville Service Established

Through a cooperative effort with Cottleville Fire Protection, the District began operating an additional ambulance from a base station located at 6306 Weldon Springs Road – near the intersection of Highway 94 and Highway 40/61.

1990

SCCAD Voted “Missouri State EMS Service of the Year”

The Wentzville base was relocated to a renovated building purchased at 402 East Pearce Blvd. Also this year, the Missouri Emergency Medical Services Association (MEMSA) voted the District “Missouri State EMS Service of the Year”.

1991

Cottleville Base Opens

Negotiations were completed to purchase a Cottleville fire station at 965 Sycamore Street in Harvester. The facility was remodeled, and a second ambulance was added.

1992

SCCAD Voted “Missouri State EMS Service of the Year”

The District was once again honored as MEMSA’s “Missouri State EMS Service of the Year”.

1993

Land Purchased for New HQ & Bases

The District purchased property at 4169 Old Mill Parkway in St. Peters for the purpose of constructing a new headquarters facility. Land was also purchased for new bases to be located at 200 McMenamy Road in St. Peters and on Highway 94 South in Augusta. Also, a four-bay garage was added to the base at 803 East Terra Lane in O’Fallon. For the third time, St. Charles County Ambulance District was presented with the prestigious “EMS Service of the Year” award by MEMSA.

1994

New HQ & EMS Training Center Opens

The Headquarters building was completed in spring of this year, with the previous HQ building being remodeled to serve as the EMS Training Center (see photo in 1988).

1994

Mid Rivers Station Opens

Autumn brought the opening of our Mid Rivers base station on 200 McMenamy Drive. This currently serves as Station 12.

1994

Lake St. Louis Station Relocates

Also this year, the District relocated its ambulance from the Lake St. Louis Fire station and began operating two units from the base on East Terra in O’Fallon.

1996

SSM Cooperative Agreement Reached

Through a cooperative effort with SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, the District resumed operating an ambulance in Lake St. Louis from a SSM-owned structure at 2800 South Service Road.

1999

Medic 391 Moves to New Station

The Augusta First Response Team, then known as Medic 20, moved into its station along Hwy. 94. Prior to this time, members had housed the ambulance at their homes or in the rear of Pitman Funeral Home.

2002

Voters Approve Bond

Voters approved a $16.88M general obligation bond issue to acquire land, construct and furnish new ambulance stations, renovate existing facilities, and purchase vehicles & lifesaving equipment.

2003

District Opens New Station on Feise Rd.

The first of the District’s bond-funded stations opened this year on Feise Rd. in Dardenne Prairie. The structure is notable, as it became a prototype for all future bases.

2004

New Station Opens in Lake St. Louis

A SCCAD-owned station was constructed and opened in Lake St. Louis on the north end of Lake St. Louis Blvd. The ALS unit housed at the SSM building was relocated upon completion of the station.

2005

Volunteer Base Station Opens in Portage Des Siox

The District a volunteer base station in Portage Des Siox for the volunteer first response team in this area. Also this year, the District received its first Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association, an honor it has maintained every year since.

2006

New Station Opens in Weldon Spring

The District constructed and began operating new station on Westwood Drive in Weldon Spring. The ambulance housed in the Cottleville Fire station moved to the new facility upon its completion.

2006

Two Special Teams Created

The District established two special teams to better serve residents during high-acuity scenarios; the St. Louis Metro Task Force 1 Medical Specialist Team (Urban Search & Rescue), and the Tactical EMS Team embedded with St. Charles County SWAT.

2008

SCCAD Opens Three New Stations

SCCAD opened three new stations in quick succession this year – Market Center Blvd. in O’Fallon, North Pointe Prairie Rd. in Wentzville, and Hwy. Z in New Melle. These facilities helped address the growing demand for service, which at the time totaled more than 25,000 calls annually.

2009

SCCAD Honored with EMS of the Year Award

SCCAD was honored as Missouri’s EMS of the Year for a fourth time by MEMSA.

2010

Last Station Funded by Bond Opens in Cottleville

The last of the stations funded by the District’s 2002 bond issue opened this year on Weiss Rd. in Cottleville. A challenging economic climate led the district to remove from service one of the two ambulances stationed on Sycamore Dr. in Harvester, as well as two overnight non-emergency transfer units.

2011

SCCAD Honored with Five Awards

SCCAD brought home five awards from MEMSA, including its fifth Emergency Medical Service of the Year honor, and the Community Service Award.

2012

District Publishes Long Range Financial Plan

The District published a Long Range Financial Plan to rase awareness of its future financial position. Based on the assessment, the board of directors determined the need to place a general tax levy increase before voters in April 2013.

2013

Voters Reject Tax Levy Increase

Proposition E, the District’s general tax levy increase, was narrowly rejected by voters in April 2013. Following its defeat, the District made cuts to service, including the closure of the Weiss Rd. station and the removal of one of the two ambulances operating out of the station on Feise Rd.

2014

Voters Approve Tax Levy Increase

After an intense year of public education efforts, voters approved Proposition E overwhelmingly by a margin of 58 to 42. Following its success, the District immediately reinstated cuts to service and developed a plan for future enhancements that would eventually be funded by Prop. E.

2015

SCCAD Invests in New Cardiac Equipment

The District experience substantial growth in requests for service in 2015, making it the business year to date. Thanks to the ballot initiative’s success the year prior, the District was able to invest in new cardiac monitors, which synced with a major revision to cardiac arrest protocols. The changes led to increased survival rates. Also of note this year, the District’s credit rating was upgraded from Aa1 to Aaa by Moody’s Investors Services.

2016

SCCAD Continues Growth with Two New Stations

The existing station on Friedens Rd. in St. Charles (which previously served at the County morgue) was demolished and rebuilt, and the District added a new station at the corner of Hopwell Rd. and Hwy. N in Wentzville – a rapidly growing area of the county. The District received its sixth MEMSA award for Service of the Year.

2017

Substance Use Recovery Response Team Formed

Requests for service eclipsed 40,000 for the first time in 2017 – a tremendous milestone for the organization. The District embarked on a Mobile Integrated Health pilot program with BJC Healthcare, the first step in what would later become a robust offering of healthcare services for our community. Also of note were efforts in the area of substance use disorder – the Substance Use Recovery Response Team debuted, and immediately became a model of success. The program received the American Ambulance Association’s Community Impact Program of the Year award.

2018

MIH Program Continues Expantion & Voters Approve Bond

The MIH program continued expanded in size and scope, partnering with commercial insurance providers. Two new station were opened to support increased demand for service, both in O’Fallon – one on Mexico Rd. just east of Sonderen St., and another on Capri Dr. along Hwy. P. In August of this year, residents overwhelmingly approved Prop. Ambulance, a general obligation bond issue that would fund the District’s 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan. The $70M initiative was supported by nearly 69 percent of voters. Also in 2018, SCCAD was named Emergency Medical Service of the Year for an unprecedented seventh time by the Missouri EMS Association.

2019

Requests for Service Continues to Increase

The District experienced substantial call volume growth this year, with requests for service increasing by seven percent. Construction began on two stations in St. Peters and Wentzville – both of which were replacements for aging facilities that were at end of life.

2019

Critical Care Ground Transport Program Established

The District launched its Critical Care Ground Transport program in March of this year.

2020

SCCAD Responds to COVID-19 Epidemic

COVID-19 brought unprecedented and unexpected situations for the entire nation. All SCCAD departments modified functions to ensure safety for patients and employees while maintaining continuity of services for our residents. Call volume decreased initially during the initial months of the pandemic but rebounded by autumn. The replacement stations in St. Peters and Wentzville opened in September, and construction began on the largest single project in the District’s 10-Year Capital Plan – the headquarters facility. Despite the challenges COVID-19 presented, construction trades stayed on track throughout the project.

2020

Critical Care Ground Transport Honored

SCCAD’s Critical Care Ground Transport program earned International Board Specialty Certification Recognition for Critical Care, making us one of the few ground ambulances in the nation to do so. The District’s Training Center also earned certification from the agency for Critical Care Medicine.

2021

SCCAD Headquarters Facility Opens

The much-anticipated SCCAD headquarters facility debuted in June under budget and ahead of schedule. Five SCCAD properties were consolidated to a single location, giving the District a “forever” home. The opening was lauded by our community and received positive feedback from within the EMS profession. Two parcels of property were purchased on Queensbrooke Blvd. and Towers Rd. to better align coverage with needs along the 364 corridor and in Harvester.

2022

Requests for Service Exceed 50,000

For the first time, requests for service eclipsed 50,000 this year – another significant milestone for the District. A realignment of assets in the St. Peters and Harvester areas of the county took place this year, with two units taking the place of a single ambulance that was perpetually busy. The new stations, located along 364 on Queensbrooke Blvd. and at the corner of Towers Rd. and Caulks Hill Rd., provide improved response times for residents in this area.

2023

Need for Service Continues to Grow

The District wrapped 2023 with more than 51,000 calls for service, setting another new record for call volume.  In a continued effort to strategically locate stations in areas likely to experience call volume growth, the District purchased property at the corner of New Town Blvd. and Hwy. B in unincorporated St. Charles County.  Also this year, the District began a multi-year initiative to renovate and update EMS stations throughout the County.