About us:
**Introduction**
Welcome to Kham Nakon EMS & Rescue (KNK Rescue). Established a decade ago by a passionate group of volunteers, we came together to revolutionise volunteer pre-hospital care and enhance the overall volunteering experience. When some existing organisations hesitated to embrace change, we took the exciting step of creating our organisation and working strategically towards the improvements we envisioned.
Now, as we get closer to 2025, we’re thrilled to share that we're continuing to deliver our multi-award-winning water safety programs in Khon Kaen, not only empowering hundreds of schoolchildren with essential swimming skills in a country facing high youth drowning rates but also delivering essential life-saving training to the Royal Thai Police and numerous other organisations. We’ve also play a vital role in training volunteers across the region, through the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) training program.
Our commitment to service shone brightly during the nationwide mobilisation to rescue teenage footballers trapped in a flooded cave, and we've been involved in numerous flood and disaster response efforts as part of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team program.
**What’s Next for the Next 5 Years?**
We are on the cusp of exciting growth! We have a number ambitious projects lined up, including:
Events: Expansion of our existing event support team enabling us to support more events and projects in Khon Kaen.
1669 Medical Response: Planning a launch date for provision of a 1669 Response Service with two state-of-the-art ambulances equipped with the latest safety systems and clinical equipment (this is projected to be end 2025).
Training: Starting 2025, we have a series of training & development initiatives we are launching. These will include new technical rescue skills training for our volunteers and others eager to enhance their expertise. This training program will be based on UK Technical Rescue Training syllabus and will include technical rope rescue and confined space rescue skills. In addition to this, we will be implementing a modular clinical skills training program, to boost clinical skills and awareness (projected start March 2026). This will be facilitated by establishing an EMS training academy which will deliver EMR training, rescue and trauma skills and the modular clinical skills program. We will have purpose built premises with dedicated training suites and external training areas to allow us to develop EMS, rescue and other relevant training to support our volunteers and those from other Foundations across the province.
Income Generation: We have established a dedicated team focused on investigating a range of income generating commercial income projects including a hospital to home and intra-hospital patient transfers. Projects such as these and others will allow us to expand out commitment to volunteer training.
Specialist Projects & Vehicles: The past 5 years has involved planning for two specialist projects. once of which will include acquisition of two specialist rescue support tenders for advanced technical rescue operations (projected for start 2026). The other relates to the provision of a dedicated trauma support vehicle (details of this will follow toward the start of 2025). The funding has recently been secured for this innovative, life-saving project!
These goals might seem bold, but we believe that ambition is the key to progress!
A special note about one of our key supporters and inspiration.
Dec Heneghan was a a friend, a provider of inspiration and enouragement, providing us with great insight and support, enabling us to reach where we are today. As the owner and editor of Ambulance Today, ne opened doors for us and gave us as much space in the magazine as we needed - this was of grat help in our early days when we were trying to find our way through negotiating various issues.
Sadly, Dec is no longer with us, he died 'with his boots on' - he had a cardiac arrest at work and despite the best efforts of this colleagues and the ambulance service, he did not survive.
For those that knew Dec, he was a true friend and someone who could always listen to a problem and provide a solution. We miss you sorely. The meet-ups on Picadilly for a coffee (or stronger) are missed, as are the midnight phone calls and messages.
Sadly, Ambulance Today (which was without doubt the best in its field) is no longer published.
In honour of a true friend, when our training center opens, it will be dedicated to the memory of Dec - he may not be here with us, but his guidance and influence will live on. RIP friend.