Sprint Medic pilot launches in St. Louis County, Minnesota, adding paramedic SUVs to speed rural response
A new EMS model begins operating January 19 across northern St. Louis County
A new emergency medical response initiative known as Sprint Medic is scheduled to begin operating Monday, January 19, in northern St. Louis County, Minnesota. The pilot is designed to improve response times in rural areas where long distances, limited staffing and fewer available ambulances can delay advanced care.
The program places paramedics in sport-utility vehicles equipped with Advanced Life Support capabilities. The vehicles are intended to arrive quickly and begin treatment while a transporting ambulance is en route or arriving from farther away.
How Sprint Medic is set up
Under the pilot, paramedics from the Virginia Fire Department will serve as Sprint Medics. Two Sprint Medics are scheduled to work Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. One will be positioned in the Tower area, while the second will cover the Cook, Orr and Bois Forte area.
Each Sprint Medic will drive an SUV stocked with Advanced Life Support equipment, including items described as cardiac monitors, ventilators and select medications. In addition to providing initial assessment and treatment at the scene, Sprint Medics are expected to continue caring for patients during transport by joining the responding ambulance on the way to the hospital when needed.
- Coverage area: Northern St. Louis County, including Tower and the Cook/Orr/Bois Forte region
- Operating schedule: Weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Staffing: Two paramedics serving as Sprint Medics
- Dispatch: Coordinated through St. Louis County 9-1-1
Partners and funding
Partners named in the Sprint Medic effort include the Virginia Fire Department, Cook Ambulance, Orr Ambulance, Tower Ambulance, Bois Forte and St. Louis County. The program is funded through a rural emergency medical services aid package approved by the Minnesota Legislature in 2024.
Minnesota has allocated a total of $2.7 million to support the St. Louis County Sprint Medic pilot through June 2027. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is serving as the fiscal agent for the program.
Local officials involved in the rollout have said the goal is to deliver a higher level of care to residents in remote areas, while maintaining service levels within the City of Virginia and covering associated costs through state funding.
Why rural response times are a focus
The Sprint Medic approach reflects a broader effort to address challenges facing rural EMS systems, including the difficulty of maintaining consistent ambulance availability across large geographies. By deploying paramedics in smaller, faster vehicles capable of advanced care, the pilot is intended to reduce the time to first medical intervention on higher-acuity calls, while leaving transporting ambulances available to move patients to hospitals when required.
St. Louis County’s pilot is part of a limited set of similar initiatives funded in Minnesota under the same legislative package, with comparable pilot support also provided for Otter Tail and Grant counties.