But 15 years of experience has taught him one thing: It’s never calm for long.

Earley, a paramedic for Hardin County Ambulance Service Station No. 2 in Radcliff, is one of two people who works 24-hour shifts, responding to everything from stubbed toes to chest pains.

Sometimes, the injuries are life-threatening. Other times, they are not.

Either way, Earley responds. And when there’s more than one call, that can lead to a situation that officials say is less than ideal.

When the Radcliff ambulance station is not available to respond to a call, the Radcliff, Fort Knox or Meade County fire departments are sent to assist the patient until an ambulance can make it to the scene, Earley said.

That scenario, occurring more and more frequently, has spurred Radcliff Fire Chief Rick Ledford and Radcliff Mayor Sheila Enyart to ask Hardin County Fiscal Court to allocate funding for an additional ambulance and crew at the Radcliff station.

The request brought before the court in the form of a letter was sent to the county’s Emergency Services Committee and could be discussed at Monday’s Fiscal Court meeting, said Magistrate Roy Easter Jr., who serves on the committee and whose district covers Radcliff.

At the Radcliff station there is only one ambulance and one two-man crew, which responds to calls in Radcliff, Vine Grove, Rineyville, Colesburg, West Point and parts of Meade County.

By comparison, the Elizabethtown ambulance station has two crews - four people - and a transport crew that works a 12-hour shift, Earley said.

The amount of medical calls the Radcliff Fire Department responds to is increasing each year. In 1999, firefighters responded to 120 calls, compared to 83 in 1998, according to fire department records.

"As the population increases, so do the calls for medical assists," Ledford said. "We’re happy to do it. But while they’re waiting for an ambulance, we’re down one fire truck."

Each time the fire department responds to assist a patient, the city pays about $3,000 for the run, Easter said.

Ledford wouldn’t say if there had been situations where the fire department was called to a scene and couldn’t help the injured party due to a lack of medical training or equipment.

"They have to be pretty sick or injured or we wouldn’t be called out to begin with," Ledford said.

Steve Sanford, administrator of North Hardin Health & Rehabilitation Center in Radcliff, said one more ambulance could benefit the area. But he said the center has had no problems with the current setup.

"The response time we’ve experienced has been outstanding, and even if there is a life-threatening situation, the fire department responds as well as the ambulance," he said.

The cost to add additional personnel to the Radcliff station would be about $200,000 a year, and the county currently has an ambulance on order that could be given to Station 2, Easter said.

A vote to approve the request could come at any time, but funding may not be available until July, when the county’s new fiscal year begins, Easter said.

"Emergency services are the No. 1 issue, and I don’t think we should shortchange it," he said. "It’s a priority, and you don’t realize it until you’re waiting for an ambulance."

Other county officials agreed.

"This is something we’ve been looking at for a while now, ever since they (Station 2) started covering West Point," Judge-Executive Glen Dalton said. "If you can afford it, it’s very important that you get good, quality ambulance service and good, quality hospital service."

There are no plans to build an additional ambulance service station in the northern part of the county, Easter said, and the current building is large enough to house additional crew members.

Earley estimated he makes between 12 to 14 runs a day, with each averaging about an hour.

"Our days vary day to day, but most days I get in the truck and won’t get back until 2 or 3 a.m.," he said.

Earley said he couldn’t recall a situation where medical care to any patient was delayed, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, he said.