When you call 911 for help, you expect trained professionals to arrive quickly and help with your problems.

What you may not know is in some areas, those responding to the calls are volunteers.

Some rural areas rely on trained volunteer ambulance crews to answer for help and those volunteers are literally life savers.

Mary Lou Davis has been working for the Fremont County ambulance and EMS Department for 30 years.

Mary Lou Davis, Fremont EMS Director: "I've been a volunteer since 1978. We have first responders, basic EMT's, and advanced EMT's."

Davis is now the departments director and is the only person, out of almost 60 EMT's, who gets paid.

Davis: "We have people on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have two ambulances in St. Anthony, two in Ashton, and two in Island Park."

Those ambulances respond to every emergency. Fremont County stays extremely busy in the winter with slick roads and snowmobilers in the back country. In the summer, the sand dunes are packed with thousands of visitors.

Bryon Parker, Volunteer EMS: "I've been a volunteer EMT for the county approximately 12 years."

Bryon Parker works for the sheriff's office but on his off time he volunteers with the ambulance crew.

Parker: "Everyone on any of the three units in this county just loves to help people."

The job can be stressful and workers sacrifice a lot. One challenge they face is having enough volunteers to cover all the shifts especially during the day.

Davis: "It's getting harder and it's not just Fremont County - it's rural America. The volunteer spirit just isn't what it used to be."

Despite the difficulties, these hard workers will keep responding to the calls.

Parker: "It's a feeling that you're gonna get from helping somebody that you just can't get anywhere else."

Davis: "I find that I just genuinely enjoy helping people. There's a great satisfaction in it really."

The volunteers go through the exact same training as paid EMS workers.

If you'd like to help out, Fremont County will be holding a certified training workshop in May.

For more information, contact the department by calling (208) 624 7557.