Tompkins County committee explores unified EMS options, schedules consultant briefing

Tompkins County Public Safety Committee members on April 22 agreed to seek outside analysis of options to create a more unified countywide emergency medical services system and scheduled a May briefing by consultant Paul Bishop of CGR to outline possible models.

The committee’s chair, Rich (Chair, Public Safety Committee), said the county invited Bishop to present “what are the different options in use in the state for unified EMS services and what would that look like,” and stressed the county “doesn’t want to lose or damage the viability of the current providers while expanding any county role.” The chair said the aim would be to augment, not replace, existing services and to consider fairness and sustainability if communities with improved service help pay for it.

Why it matters: Committee members said response-time gaps, uneven service levels and a shortage of staffed ambulances are driving interest in a county-level approach. The proposal would study whether the county could raise the level of care provided earlier in a response (for example, increasing paramedic-level responses) and how to rationalize mutual aid across multiple providers.

Tom Parsons, a retired fire chief and certified paramedic, told the committee during public comment that the Ithaca Fire Department is authorized to respond to life‑threatening calls and that sending its limited fire units to nonurgent medical calls risks leaving the community short for major fires or high-acuity incidents. Parsons said emergency medical and rescue calls account for roughly 40% of IFD calls and that IFD has seen call volumes rise “from 2,500 calls a year to over 5,300 calls a year” without matching increases in staffing. He urged the county to address the shortage of staffed ambulances rather than increasing lower‑priority first‑response assignments for firefighters.

Committee discussion focused on next steps: gather more data, preserve current provider capacity, examine whether a county role could increase the level of prehospital care, and consider funding arrangements for communities that receive improved service. Chair Rich said Paul Bishop will likely attend the May meeting and the committee should prepare questions in advance.

The county administrator, Corso, told the panel his office and Emergency Services are coordinating and hope to present options to the committee in the coming months.

Ending: The committee did not take formal action at the meeting; members asked staff to continue planning and to convene a May discussion with Bishop to evaluate models, costs and implications for existing providers. If the committee moves forward, staff said they will aim to preserve current service levels while identifying ways to increase paramedic access and system sustainability.