Some Hancock County residents pushing for local first responders - WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and Radio

When an emergency situation arises, every second is critical and that's why people in one rural community are spearheading an effort to form a first responder team.

A group of Hamilton residents says they're trying to increase the response time to emergency incidents in Hamilton by forming a volunteer team of at least a dozen responders.

A meeting is being held Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Warsaw Ambulance Barn to talk about the issue.

Right now, responders are dispatched from Warsaw and the closest hospitals are in Keokuk or Carthage.

Organizers say the minutes saved by using this new team could help many people in medical danger.

"Four to five minutes can mean the difference between someone saying thank you to the person that was there to help them or maybe be in a vegetative state because the brain didn't get the oxygen in the time it needed or maybe if they are having a heart attack," said Lisa Weeks.

Weeks said if you are interested in taking a first responder training course in April or joining the team you can call her for more information at (319)795-3937.