VIENNA — The Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD) had its busiest month ever for emergency calls in May.

Board members reviewed monthly statistics during the most recent monthly meeting on June 16. Administrator Carla Butler noted the high call volume, which totaled 83 for the month.

Of the calls, 68 occurred in the Vienna zone. Those included one life-threatening emergency, 46 urgent emergencies, 20 dry-run emergencies and one routine transfer. Another 15 calls occurred in the Freeburg zone including 12 urgent emergencies and three dry-run emergencies.

The district’s busiest month comes on the heels of its busiest year in 2024 when it answered 688 calls. Through May, it had responded to 307 calls for an average of about 61 calls per month. If the pace continued, then this year would surpass last year.

Board members also reviewed MOAD’s finances for May. The total income of $64,429.74 outpaced the total expenses of $61,389.11 by $3,040.63.

Among the bills the board approved at the meeting was the renewal of the district’s building and vehicle insurance, which includes full coverage on the ambulances and equipment and policies for injury and malpractice. The policy increased by $3,444.65 to a $41,531.65 total.

Other business included determining board officers. The board opted to keep the structure the same with Don Lanning serving as president and Steve Maxwell serving as vice president.

Butler said she had posted online job listings for EMT and paramedic positions. At the time of the meeting, the district had eight active EMTs and three active paramedics. The number of paramedics is down from six in February. Six people were set to interview with the district for EMT positions but Butler had not scheduled any interviews for paramedic candidates.

The board agreed to allow a local high school student to ride along as an observer on calls. Butler said she had checked with both the district’s insurance and its lawyer to ensure a ride-along was allowed. She said their responses were that he could act as an observer but could not touch anything under any circumstances. The student is an incoming senior and enrolled in Rolla Technical Institute’s EMT program.

Butler had been working with Osage County on learning its new dispatching system. The program is through CentralSquare, which is the same software Maries County uses.

MOAD renewed its Federal Communications Commission license.

Some of the recent and upcoming public events in Vienna are two tractor pulls, including the Vienna Lions Club Tractor Pull rescheduled for Aug. 16; the Vienna Main Street Car Cruise-In on July 11 and the Maries County Fair in August. Events in Freeburg included a car show in May, fireworks in June and a picnic in August. Meta events included CPR training at the fire department in May and fireworks and church picnic in July. MOAD will also attend the Argyle Knights of Columbus car show in August.