Caroline County’s Department of Fire and Rescue told the Board of Supervisors it is pursuing grant funding to equip ambulances with power‑loading systems and powered cots and warned supervisors that call volumes have increased roughly 20% year‑over‑year so far this year.

The department has already installed powered loading systems and power cots in five ambulances under earlier grants and sought a new state grant to outfit four more ambulances, which would bring the county to about nine ambulances with powered loading systems. The chief said the combined cost for a loading system plus a powered cot is substantially higher than the single‑item prices listed on an agenda summary because each ambulances’ system is a two‑part package (the auto‑loader plus the powered cot and battery) that together runs in the tens of thousands per unit.

Chief (Department of Fire and Rescue) told the board that injuries to personnel from manual lifting—including a line‑of‑duty injury that removed an employee from service—helped justify the investment. “When you’re lifting 200‑ or 300‑ or 500‑pound patients, having that power cot is a lifesaver,” the chief said, adding that workers’‑comp costs and lost staffing capacity are part of the cost calculation.

On call volume the chief said the county is transporting an older population and that from January through July the county recorded about a 20% uptick in transports compared with the same period last year. Last month, the department transported 314 patients—about 300 transports per month on average—and averaged roughly 600 calls per month when fire and non‑transport incidents are included. The chief told the board the county currently staffs roughly 23 career positions on a daily basis spread across staffed stations, supplemented by volunteers; several stations rely heavily on volunteers and one station (Upper Caroline) reportedly has zero volunteer staffing at times.

Supervisors pressed the chief on training and staffing timelines. The chief estimated about seven months to train a new recruit to be a productive firefighter/EMT and another three months of field release and orientation; paramedic (ALS) certification typically takes about two additional years. The department said another full‑time staffed apparatus is needed to reduce gaps in coverage and better handle the county’s transport demands.

Discussion at the meeting also weighed infrastructure and service alternatives: a supervisor asked whether ambulances are required by law to transport patients to hospital ERs (yes—county transports must go to certified emergency rooms, not urgent care), and officials discussed whether expanded urgent‑care access in the county could reduce transports. The chief said better primary‑care access and urgent care availability would likely reduce hospital transports, because some patients use EMS for primary‑care access when appointments are not available.

Why this matters: the combination of rising call volume, an aging population and volunteer shortages is increasing pressure on county EMS budgets and staffing. The board asked staff to remain engaged on potential solutions, including timing for capital purchases and recruitment strategies to bolster career staffing.

What happened next: supervisors expressed support for pursuing available grants and asked staff to consider longer‑term staffing and capital plans; no formal monetary appropriation was recorded at the meeting for additional ambulance purchases—grants were described as the primary funding path.