Dove Creek Ambulance District names Aaron J. Fry as ambulance chief

For Dolores County residents, the practical question is simple: when 911 rings, who is making sure the county’s only 24-hour paid ambulance can roll? The Dove Creek Ambulance District filled its ambulance chief post with Aaron J. Fry, also known as AJ Fry, effective April 8, giving the district a permanent leader after a period of reorganization.

That hire matters because DCAD is the only 24-hour, paid EMS provider in Dolores County. The district staffs an ambulance around the clock from 222 S. Guyrene St. in Dove Creek, where its ambulance station also houses Medic 1, Medic 2 and a SWRETAC MCI trailer. In a county where response options can be far apart, the chief’s job reaches well beyond paperwork.

The district had been seeking an EMS chief, and the leadership change came as the board itself settled into a new configuration. The board reorganized March 12, after elections were canceled because no additional candidates filed for the available seats. The current board members are Jake Kline, Edward Woods, LaVerna Baxter and Gregg Liming.

In a county the size of Dolores, those details are not abstract. The county covers 1,064 square miles, with about 700 people living inside Dove Creek and another 880 outside town limits, plus roughly 300 more in the Rico and Dunton area. For a district serving that much ground with that small a population, the chief’s first priorities usually touch the basics that determine whether a call is answered quickly and safely: staffing schedules, certification oversight, mutual-aid coordination and day-to-day readiness.

That is especially true when DCAD cannot respond on its own. A recent report said backup ambulance options can be 15 to 35 miles away, including Pleasant View Fire Protection District, San Juan Hospital in Monticello, Utah, and Southwest Memorial Hospital’s unit in Cortez. In that setting, a filled chief position can affect everything from how the district covers shifts to how it works with the county Emergency Manager and the Dolores County Search & Rescue Team.

Colorado’s EMS system, meanwhile, is built around local control. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says counties hold the statutory authority to license ground ambulance services, and the state’s EMS network annually transports and cares for about 481,600 patients through roughly 205 licensed ground ambulance agencies and about 19,500 certified and licensed providers. DCAD’s meetings page says the district holds regular board meetings on the third Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the ambulance station, giving residents a public window into how that service is run.