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Chaffee County EMS reports higher call volume, weighs staffing and response changes
Summary
Chaffee County EMS told commissioners call volume was up about 7% Jan–Mar vs. the same period in 2024, with a 10% rise at the South End station and operational strain from concurrent calls.
Chaffee County EMS reported to the Board of County Commissioners that call volume for January–March rose about 7% compared with the same period in 2024, with the South End station seeing a roughly 10% increase and Buena Vista about 3%.
County staff said the service is running two ambulances out of the South End station and one out of the North End station. When the North End ambulance responds, they sometimes redeploy an ambulance north to maintain coverage; staff said that practice is stressing resources when concurrent calls occur on the South End. "We're running concurrent calls on the South End," the EMS presenter said, noting transports can tie up an ambulance for at least an hour and a half.
The EMS report said the department completed about 60 interfacility transfers in the three‑month review window (about 20 per month), with particularly heavy activity in February and March (25 and 29 transfers). Staff described work with Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center to implement a transfer scoring matrix intended to account for patient acuity, crew fatigue, road and weather conditions and crew safety. The presenter said the state IFT task force has reviewed their model alongside other counties' approaches.
On billing and revenue, staff provided examples from their transaction report and said roughly 58% of transports in the period were covered by government insurance (Medicare/Medicaid). Using the figures presented, EMS said a typical Medicare transport generated an example reimbursement of about $744 and Medicaid about $386 after billing; staff used those numbers to explain the gap between billed charges and actual revenue.
Staff described capital and equipment work: two new ambulances are in the build process with federal/state specifications now governing some build standards; cardiac monitor upgrades are underway and expected to be on ambulances by June pending integration work; and the department is considering new gurneys/power‑load systems for 2026 budgeting. Training updates included physician‑led refresher sessions and wildland/swift‑water preparation. EMS said it has refurbished facilities in Buena Vista and is managing capacity constraints at the South End station.
Commissioners asked about immediate staffing remedies and timelines for paramedic training. Staff described the typical training pipeline—an EMT course of about 3.5 months, one year of full‑time service before paramedic school, then approximately one year of paramedic education plus field internship (about 500 field hours). They said the department is reopening a paramedic application window to fill two upcoming paramedic departures and is discussing options to send two EMTs to paramedic school. The presenter also said the department will host Pueblo Community College paramedic students for field training.
No formal county action or vote was taken on staffing or budget items during the presentation; commissioners asked questions and staff described follow‑up options and budget planning for 2026.
Ending: Commissioners and staff agreed to continue monitoring call‑volume data and to return with staffing and budget proposals as needed for future budget cycles.
