Ouray County EMS and the county’s fire districts told commissioners on June 4 that the ambulance system is frequently operating at or beyond safe surge capacity and outlined staffing models and policy options to address the problem.

Deputy Chief Devin Boss said that small numbers of overlapping calls — two simultaneous 911 calls — regularly push the system to its limits. OCEMS currently staffs two paramedics 24/7 (one based in Ridgeway and one in Ouray) using quick-response vehicles; ambulances are filled when volunteer drivers respond from home to the station. Boss said volunteers and on-call drivers are increasingly unreliable because many volunteers are unavailable due to work or travel, creating gaps in ambulance staffing during peak demand.

EMS leaders described last month’s operational strain: multiple medics were unavailable for various reasons (injury, National Guard activation, family emergency and scheduled deployments). OCEMS said the remaining staff and PRN paramedics covered many shifts, and command staff filled dozens of shifts to maintain continuous coverage. The department reported it had fielded more than 235 calls with 108 patient transports in the most recent month and expects seasonal increases in July–August.

To address capacity, EMS presented a menu of near- and medium-term options: recruit additional PRN paramedics, hire a full-time paid EMT to create Basic Life Support transports, develop a community paramedic program to provide in-home follow-up and reduce non-emergency 911 usage, and pursue grants for equipment (monitor and mechanical CPR devices) and a replacement ambulance.

EMS also announced they had applicants for the PRN positions and for a full-time paramedic vacancy. Staff asked the commission to consider grant support and to include EMS proposals in upcoming budgeting discussions.

Fire authority discussion: Ridgeway Fire and legal counsel described a draft intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that would create a consolidated fire/EMS authority as a stepping-stone to a potential full Title 32 special district in the future. Representatives said they had circulated a redlined draft to county counsel and discussed the idea with other local fire agencies and the City of Ouray; responses had been generally positive but some districts asked for more time to review.

County and fire-district participants discussed next steps: create a working group of representatives (county, fire districts, city) to draft bylaws, budgets, service boundaries and transitional arrangements. Legal advisors said the IGA is a reasonable first step and recommended including an explicit roadmap for conversion to a Title 32 district if the authority proves successful; county counsel also highlighted questions about asset transfers, insurance and winding-down provisions.

Ending: Commissioners asked county staff to name representatives for the working group and signaled support for the collaborative process. No final decision to form the authority was taken at the meeting; participants said the working group would meet to develop bylaws, budget assumptions and service maps.