MPR News reports…

Paul Kirchner’s memory is still a little hazy about the day he got hurt in a farming accident in rural Murray County last September. He went to help a friend who had hit a power line while they were combining a cornfield.

“I think I was in shock from being electrocuted,” Kirchner, 66, said. “Because it was 7,200 volts that went through me.”

His friend died. But Kirchner was able to call for help and an ambulance soon arrived. As the ambulance crew worked on him, he realized there was someone else in the vehicle.

“The doctors there on the screen, they were monitoring my vitals and all that stuff,” he said. “They were keeping an eye on that while the EMTs were working on me to get an IV in and stuff like that.”

Kirchner was one of the first patients treated through a grant-funded pilot program in partnership with Avel eCare EMS. The technology allows remote access by medical professionals based in South Dakota. They provide real-time guidance to emergency responders in the field.

Murray County Ambulance in Slayton is the first Minnesota ambulance agency to use Avel eCare EMS. Wabasso recently launched its program too.