A Mission to Serve
Regional Paramedical Services remains a community blessing for the people of Walker County and beyond.
Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Image by Ryan McGill
Regional Paramedical Services (RPS) was established in 1987 with a single goal - to serve the community.
CEO Lee Wills recalls, "My dad was working for a local paramedic service in Walker County. They were running a call, and the truck broke down on the way to the hospital. My dad thought, 'I could do better than that.' So, he and his coworkers pooled some money together, and with a small loan, they started a company."
RPS began with one used emergency vehicle and has since grown to employ over 500 individuals, serving seven counties. For the past 10 years, Lee has been running the business, upholding the values that inspired the company's founding.
RPS has expanded to include two additional divisions: Regional Air-Medical Services (RAMS) and Regional Training Institute (RTI). These divisions allow RPS to offer air medical services and train individuals to work in the paramedical field.
RTI, located in Gardendale, has a dedicated staff and currently enrolls over 300 students. Since its inception, RTI has produced over 40% of the state's paramedics. The institute offers low tuition, flexible scheduling, free tutoring, and quality education.
RPS dispatches out of Jasper and Gardendale, with departments handling building and vehicle maintenance, IT, dispatch, billing, and field operations. Field personnel include paramedics, drivers/ pilots, and flight nurses.
"I have a lot of pride in RPS being in a county where I live, my dad lives, and my kid goes to school," Lee says. "I grew up around this business; it's all I know, and I am passionate about helping people. It is unforgiving, hard work, but it is incredibly rewarding."
Lee adds, "We kind of sit in the background, but I think it's important for people to know they have this great thing in their backyard. It's like a mini community here at RPS because it takes so many personnel to keep things running smoothly. But our employees are always ready to work hard because they are passionate about it. We teach our employees to treat every patient like family. That is how the originals did it, and that is the standard we uphold." 78