In August 2001, a call was dispatched in the rural setting for "a man thrown from a horse with difficulty breathing." An Ambulance EMT lived two miles from the horse stable. He responded directly to the scene and arrived within minutes of the dispatch. The ambulance crew arrived ten minutes later. Three days following the incident, the patient stopped by to meet the ambulance director to say thank you. He also stated that he could not believe how fast someone arrived. Hence, the First Responder program was conceived.
At about this same time, River Falls Ambulance had realized a 60% increase in 9-1-1 medical emergency calls during the first eight months of 2002 versus the previous year. The dramatic call increase was realized in the towns of Troy and Kinnickinnic, both located in St. Croix County. The US Census Bureau reported in 2003 that St. Croix County was the number one fastest growing county in Wisconsin for new homes from 1999 to 2002.