Mike Swift, who was crucial to the formation and continued operation of ambulance service in Barren and Metcalfe counties, died Monday. He was 66.

Swift served as director of the Barren-Metcalfe County Emergency Medical Services from 1974 to 2016 and as Barren County coroner from 2004 until his retirement in 2016.

Barren County Coroner Tim Gibson, who served with Swift as a deputy coroner and an emergency medical technician with the ambulance service, said Swift was a positive influence on him since he first enrolled in EMT training in 1982.

“He’s been my boss, my instructor, my mentor and my best friend since 1982,” he said.

As the ambulance service’s first director, Swift played a direct role in providing Barren and Metcalfe with ambulance service, but he also impacted other similar services throughout the state, Gibson said.

In his long career with the ambulance service, Swift taught countless EMTs and wrote standards and provisions that some fledgling ambulance services used, Gibson said.

In the 1970s, many Kentucky counties set up their first ambulance services, Gibson said. Before that, people living in those counties called local funeral homes that shuttled people to hospitals, not always in ambulances, he said.

“All the way across the state, he was instrumental in bringing it up to speed,” he said. “You can’t even fathom the number of lives that were touched by Mike.”

Swift retired Sept. 1 but didn’t walk away from the ambulance service. He was frequently on hand at Barren County Fiscal Court meetings to explain issues and offer his input as the court debated and ultimately implemented an ambulance tax to pay for Barren County’s and Glasgow’s contribution to the ambulance service’s operational costs.

As Barren County coroner, Swift was not as active in Metcalfe County, though his presence was still felt, Metcalfe County Judge-Executive Greg Wilson said.

“Even as a teenager, I can remember Mike Swift in Metcalfe County,” he said.

In the 1970s, Swift helped Metcalfe County Fiscal Court pass an ambulance tax that the county has since used to pay its portion of the ambulance service’s operational costs, Wilson said.

“He was still very much involved (in Metcalfe County),” he said. “He’ll be dearly missed.”

Jason Blakely, the ambulance service’s director, said Swift inspired him to get involved in emergency medical services.

“He helped me develop into what I am today. He truly exemplified what we should all be,” he said.

When Blakely was growing up, he said, Swift was known for the role he played in providing the ambulance service in Barren and Metcalfe counties.

“He was the nicest person you could ever meet,” he said. “He gave himself completely to the people of Barren County.”

At the ambulance service, Swift will be missed, although his influence will never stop being felt, Blakely said. “We’re all just sort of heartbroken because he’s still a big part of us and always will be,” he said.

A.F. Crow & Son Funeral Home is handling arrangements.