DRIVE FOR AMBULANCE FUNDS IS ON

CAIRO, Ill. -- The Cairo Independent Ambulance Service wants a paramedic ambulance and the community is willing to go to great lengths to attain that goal.

Two of the area's familiar and well-traveled residents Randy Scheiding and his faithful sidekick, Sundance, the horseback-riding blue-heeler dog are sitting atop the roof of a restaurant in efforts to raise more than $70,000 that could elevate the ambulance service from a basic support system to an advanced system.

The 4-year-old ambulance system has two certified ambulances. "Both are equipped with basic life support," said Scott Harshbarger the emergency medical services director. "We're looking to buy an advanced life-support ambulance.

"What this means is that at present we can stop bleeding or provide oxygen while taking patients to a hospital," said Harshbarger. "Upgrading our service to intermediate and then to advanced, or paramedic, will help provide additional treatment.

"If you live in an area with a hospital nearby, the basic life-support system is okay," said Harshbarger, "But, when patients must be transported 40 miles, you need the advanced life-support, which could include an IV unit and, or, heart monitor."

"If we're going to have an ambulance service, we are going to have to do it ourselves," said Scheiding, who has been camping out on the Classics Restaurant roof for more than a week with his telephone. "We'll stay here until we find 400 people who will pledge $14.90 a month for 12 months."

Scheiding said his goal is to raise $70,000 for the service.

"This could take about a month," said Scheiding. "We projected about $10,000 for the first week." During the first three days about $5,000 was pledged, and at the end of the first week, at noon Monday, the pledges topped $10,000. "Things will pick up now," said Scheiding, who spends much of his time calling people.

"I have my telephone directory here and am now calling Cairo people," he said. "But because we serve the entire county I'll start calling people in the county once everyone in Cairo has been contacted."

Sheiding also urged people to call him.

"There are some people who are not at home when I call, and some may not have phones," he said. "I want to talk to everybody. People I have talked with are very supportive.

"I am so proud of this community for rallying " he said. "We get a lot of bad press, but we've shown we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. I'm, proud to be a part of this community."

Scheiding said he had noted ambulances passing his location as many as nine times in a 24-hour period.

"This points out the need," he said.

Scheiding, a native Illinoisan, has been living in the Cairo area three years. He attended Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and is sales manager at WKRO-Radio 1490 at Cairo. In addition to his job at WKRO, Scheiding has his own production company, Shalako Productions.

Scheiding has camping equipment on the roof, including a tent. He also has access to a hose for showers.

"I have everything I need here water, food, dog, shelter," he said. "I've camped in places that were a lot rougher while going cross country."

Scheiding spends most of his daytime hours by himself.

"I send Sundance to the farm during the day," he said. "It's pretty hot up here."

Scheiding has incorporated the fund-raiser as part of the daily adventures of "Kid Coleman, the High Plains Drifter," and "Sundance, the amazing horseback riding dog," three-minute radio spots that air on WKRO each day.

Scheiding and Sundance are familiar names to people throughout Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri and Western Kentucky.

Sundance and Scheiding completed a 240-mile cross-country ride through 19 cities in three states last August. That 22-day event was designed to deliver invitations from Cairo Mayor James Wilson to mayors and citizens of the tri-state area to join in the festivities when the "Always A River" museum barge a 152-foot-long, 34-foot-wide craft that featured a theater and a variety of permanent exhibitions and local history artifacts visited Cairo last September.

The ambulance service does not receive any tax money, and is supported solely by donations and fees.

"Volunteers even pay for their own training costs," said Harshbarger.

Since December, when the Alexander County Ambulance Service ran into financial difficulties, the independent service has responded to calls throughout Alexander County.

"We're building this ambulance service up," said Harshbarger. "Instead of just being an ambulance service, we are going to be a part of the community with a lot of community involvement."

The service has a dozen people who regularly volunteer their services.

"Half of these people are from out of town," said Harshbarger. "We have one volunteer who drives here from Mount Vernon to offer services."

Harshbarger, who is from Zeigler, says the ambulance building will be ready for dedication in the near future.

Situated at 217 19th Street, the building has been remodeled to include crew quarters, classrooms, recreation rooms and a kitchen area.

"Our goal for the building is to establish a regional EMP training center," said Harshbarger. "We hope to conduct classes for people from throughout the tri-states area."

Harshbarger said the majority of patients from Alexander County are transported to Cape Girardeau.

"Some are taken to Paducah, Ky., and some to Sikeston, Mo.," said Harshbarger. "But many people in this area have doctors at Cape Girardeau and request to be taken there."

Harshbarger said if funding is received, new equipment would be installed within a year.