Lakeside Quick Response Unit celebrates 45 years
ELSA ERICKSEN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 3 weeks AGO
Members of the Lakeside Quick Response Unit outside the Lakeside Ambulance Station. (Courtesy Lakeside Quick Response Unit)
Lakeside Quick Response Unit is celebrating its 45th anniversary with a community open house at the Ambulance Hall located at 201 Bills Road on May 17 from 12 to 4 p.m.
The open house will feature station and ambulance tours, a free lunch and opportunities to meet the first responders. Other emergency service and healthcare organizations will be represented, including ALERT, Somers Fire Department, Logan Health, Montana Bar Fairies and American Red Cross.
The Lakeside QRU is also kicking off its 2026 capital campaign to raise funds for the purchase and installation of a generator to power the station during outages.
The Lakeside Ambulance is a 24/7 emergency medical response organization founded in 1981. They respond to 911 calls from Lakeside, Somers, South Kalispell, Lower Valley and Rollins areas, providing emergency medical services and ambulance transport.
The group was founded as the Upper West Shore Quick Response Unit by a group of citizens who realized the response times to communities on the west shore of Flathead Lake from Kalispell was too long.
Today, Lakeside QRU has a roster of 30 emergency medical personnel responding to an average of 14 calls each week. The number of annual calls has increased over the last 10 years, from 353 in 2015 to 714 in 2025. The organization relies on donations and grants for more than 90% of its budget.
For more information, visit lakesideqru.com or email [email protected].
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