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Wyoming council approves EMS responder classification for fire department
Summary
The council voted to add an EMS responder classification to the Wyoming Fire Department roster to recruit community EMTs/EMRs; the position will start at $15/hour with an increase to $18/hour after probation, will not require full firefighter training and is not an additional headcount, the chief said.
The Wyoming City Council voted to add an EMS responder classification to the Wyoming Fire Department, a change the department says is intended to increase availability of medical responders without requiring full firefighter training.
Chief Bauer told the council the change is aimed at recruiting community members who already hold emergency medical credentials but do not wish to complete full firefighter training. The position would be limited to medical response duties, Bauer said, and would not require attendance at firefighter training. He said the city is not creating new positions at this time but would reclassify or post the classification to recruit candidates.
Bauer described the proposed pay as $15 per hour on hire, increasing to $18 per hour upon completion of probation. He said the Relief Association and department leadership discussed how the classification fits in the department’s relief association arrangements and that unit-level agreement had been reached on the pay structure.
Council members asked operational questions about how the new classification would be deployed. Bauer said response notifications currently go out through the department’s “I am responding” app; responders indicate whether they will respond and join accordingly. He said ambulances and paramedics would still be dispatched as before and that EMS responders are intended to supplement—not replace—the ambulance crew. Bauer said the role would initially be limited to EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) certification and that the city may offer training opportunities to advance to EMT in the future but would not require EMT initially.
Member Anstead moved to approve adding the EMS responder classification; Member Anstead seconded the motion and the council approved the item by voice vote.
