County adds six grant-funded per-diem emergency medical provider positions; updates emergency-response handbook language

The personnel committee voted on July 10 to add six per-diem positions under the title "emergency medical provider," creating three new title-by-grade entries: Emergency Medical Provider (EMT) at Grade 11 and Emergency Medical Provider (Advanced EMT) at Grade 12. Staff said the positions are grant-funded through March 2026 and recommended a sunset position of March 31 unless other funding is found.

A motion to add the positions and to include the sunset date passed; one named commissioner was recorded as opposed. The committee also discussed funding uncertainty and options to shift funds if money becomes available in March. "It would be a stretch," one committee member said of shifting other funds to cover the positions midyear.

The committee separately approved a revision to the employee handbook to clarify response procedures for emergencies that occur while employees are on duty and before the start of a shift. The rewrite expands coverage beyond fire departments to include emergency medical services and clarifies approval and documentation requirements by a department head or immediate supervisor.

Why this matters: The new per-diem positions aim to support emergency medical coverage but are explicitly tied to grant funding; the committee placed a sunset mechanism to avoid an open-ended budget commitment. The handbook change clarifies employer expectations when employees or volunteers respond to emergencies while on duty or during secondary employment.

No additional permanent county funding was committed at the meeting. Committee members said they'll revisit funding options in March if grant or reserve funds are available.