It's the middle of the night and a woman in north Logan calls 911. Her husband is having chest pains and needs help.

The ambulance will be there as soon as it can, but in situations like this, every minute counts. The local first responders will be the first ones on the scene. These well-trained volunteers can make the difference between life and death. Because of their devotion to their community, the many hours they put in on training and runs and the often-unrecognized work they do, the Logan County first responders are the 2009 group of the year.

If you've called 911 or been involved an an accident or other emergency in Logan County, you have most likely met one of the approximately 61 first responders in the county. They are ordinary people who have an extraordinary desire to serve.

“It’s just to do something for the community,” said Brent Holman, a first responder from Adairville. “It’s something I enjoy and it’s exciting.”

Holman has been a first responder since 2004 when he retired from the military. His military background and the fact that his father was a firefighter contributed to his desire to become a first responder.

“It’s a way to serve the community,” Holman said.

In Logan County, the first responders are a part of the volunteer fire departments and are operated out of the fire departments. Phillip Ferguson, supervisor for Logan County EMS, explained that the fire departments have firefighters that are EMTs, first responders and/or paramedics. While the exact definition of a first responder is somewhat vague, what they do is clear.

"In the chain of survival, they are the first link," Ferguson said.

"They do a great deal in assisting in medical care in Logan County," said Jim Duke, president of Com-Care, Inc., the company that provides ambulance service in Logan County. "Those folks get to the patient first."

When a call comes in to the 911 dispatch center, the operator determines if the situation requires a first responder. If it does, they will page out the department in the area and tell them they are needed on a run. Since first responders live and often work in the communities they serve, they can get the the site of the emergency quickly.

Getting there so quickly makes a huge difference, Duke said. In a medical emergency, getting care in the first three to four minutes as opposed to the first eight to nine minutes can often make a difference in the ultimate outcome. The first responders are the ones providing the care in those first crucial minutes.

"They provide a lot of life-saving immediate care in Logan County," Duke said.

First responders have medical equipment with them at all times. Most fire departments provide this equipment, but some first responders buy it themselves. They have at least 80 hours of training and can handle a variety of medical emergencies, from heart attacks to child birth.

"When you have a first responder there who's well trained it makes a difference," Ferguson said. "The care that they give is outstanding."

Having a first responder answering a call and being first on the scene is helpful to the paramedics who arrive shortly after them in the ambulance. Duke said first responders are often helpful in simply locating the scene. They can help the ambulance driver find homes in rural parts of the county that are sometimes hard to locate.

When the ambulance arrives, first responders can quickly let the paramedics fill them in on the situation.

"And they are in extra set of hands when the ambulance arrives," Duke said. That can make a difference in how long an ambulance is on the scene and how quickly the patient can be on the way to the hospital.

Having first responders, Duke said, "makes the difference between having average pre-hospital care and excellent pre-hospital care."

While they are most known for their response to medical emergencies and accidents, the first responders help out in many situations. Last year, during the ice storm, the first responders were on the job.

"We utilized them a lot during the ice storm," Ferguson said. They checked on people stranded in their homes with no power and took portable oxygen units to some who needed oxygen but had no electricity.

Ferguson said the citizens of Logan County are lucky to have such a devoted, well-trained group of first responders. Some counties, like Simpson, don't even have a first responder program.

Local leaders agree about the importance of the first responders.

“I don’t know how we could make it without them,” said county judge executive Logan Chick. “As far as emergency services in the county, they’ve been an important part of that since they were formed.”

Chick said the first responders are so helpful because they know the areas they serve and can get to the emergency so quickly.

“They play a real important role,” Chick said.

Jim Trimble, city fire chief for Adairville, said first responders are instrumental in helping in emergencies.

“There are a lot of medical calls that just a regular fire fighter couldn’t do anything with,” Trimble said. “They really are a blessing.”