Board approves $31,000 paramedic retention and staffing incentive program
After an EMS report on paramedic shortages, the board authorized an Emmet County EMS retention and staffing incentive program with total program cost not to exceed $31,000 to help keep paramedics through the busy season.
The full story
The Emmet County Board of Commissioners approved a paramedic retention and staffing incentive program intended to stabilize EMS staffing through the remainder of the year. Brian Pattinson, the county’s EMS director, described a decline in paramedic numbers — from 18 working paramedics and 9 EMTs in December 2025 to what he said would "be at 11 paramedics and 14 EMTs" by the end of June — and recommended short‑term financial incentives while longer‑term workforce and training strategies are developed.
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