Paul (staff member) told the board that, as the county works to fill EMT positions, management has an opportunity to change how vacancies are used to sustain a staffed ambulance. Paul said the county is currently short one full‑time EMT and proposed converting three vacated part‑time EMT positions the county has been unable to fill into a single full‑time EMT position.

Fiscal effect and rationale: Paul estimated a budgetary cost of about $147,000 for the full‑time position based on an average full‑time EMT salary of roughly $80,000; by consolidating three part‑time vacancies into one full‑time position, staff estimated the county could save roughly $67,000–$68,000 compared with continued reliance on multiple part‑time hires and overtime.

Why it matters: ensuring sufficient full‑time staffing is central to maintaining an ambulance and consistent EMS coverage; staff framed the conversion as a staffing strategy to stabilize operations while vacancies persist.

Action and next steps: Paul presented the staffing conversion request during the committee of the whole; the transcript records the requested conversion and the budget estimates but does not record a formal vote. Staff will implement the conversion if approved through the county’s personnel and budgetary process.

Context: staff described this as the first time management had an opportunity to fill all open positions in the management team; the conversion is presented as a workforce management and budgetary optimization step rather than a net increase in positions beyond existing budgeted headcount.