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South Kingstown plans new EMS station and hires as billing revenue grows; community paramedicine awaits state guidance
Summary
Town officials proposed hiring additional EMS personnel tied to a new Perryville station and said higher billing revenue will offset much of the first-year personnel cost; the town is monitoring a pending state bill that would affect reimbursement for community paramedicine work.
Town Manager Jim Manny and EMS Chief Craig Stanley told the council the FY25–26 municipal budget includes requests to add up to eight full-time emergency medical services positions in stages tied to the construction and opening of a new EMS station in Perryville.
Chief Craig Stanley said two EMS hires were made last year and the department proposes hiring two more this year and four the following year so the new station can operate 24/7 without an excessive overtime bill. “For every one full-time employee hired in EMS, we would save 50% in overtime,” Stanley said.
Stanley and Manny said increased EMS billing revenue underwrites part of the personnel request. The packet shows EMS billing revenue rising in the proposal from roughly $1,000,000 in the current year to $1,100,000 in FY25–26; Stanley testified that more optimistic projections have reached $1.5 million in internal forecasts tied to operational changes. The FY25–26 proposed budget lists $100,000 of additional EMS billing revenue that would effectively fund 1 of the 2 requested positions.
Chief Stanley described operational plans for the new station: the department expects to put a vehicle in the Perryville location within roughly a year and to staff peak hours initially while hiring continues. He said peak call times generally run roughly 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and that the town is working to stagger hires so the staffing ramp is manageable.
On the community paramedic program, Stanley said the town currently performs non-transport follow-up care for some high-utilizer patients and that a state bill under consideration would clarify reimbursement for that work. “There's one bill that's pending right now, which has to deal with raising the other bill that we're trying to get going of the community paramedics,” Stanley said. He said the town is waiting for legal guidance before asking the council to adopt a formal local resolution to establish the program more broadly; he told councilors the program uses a Department of Health electronic health record system and that program records are kept within that system.
Why it matters: EMS staffing and operations affect response times, overtime costs and municipal operating budgets. The town’s plan ties hiring to anticipated billing revenue and new station openings; a change in state reimbursement policy for community paramedicine could change the town’s ability to sustain those services.
What’s next: The council will consider the EMS position requests during budget deliberations; staff said they will report back as hiring progresses and as the state bill and legal guidance on community paramedicine become available.
