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Fire/EMS staff urge update to standby billing rate; propose cost analysis and policy changes
Summary
Fire and EMS staff told commissioners the longstanding $100/hour standby billing rate for events likely undercovers county costs and recommended bringing back a consultant cost report; staff also discussed how vendors’ requirements compel ambulance presence at sanctioned events and how the county bills and recovers costs.
Fire/EMS staff told the Board of County Commissioners that the county’s $100‑per‑hour standby rate for vendors that request onsite ambulance coverage likely does not cover true county costs and recommended the county conduct a cost analysis and revisit the rate. The issue matters because private vendors sometimes require ambulances as a condition of insurance and the county either bills the vendor or waives fees in board-approved situations; if fees do not cover actual costs the county’s emergency services budget is effectively subsidizing events. Staff said the $100/hour rate was set around 2014 and “probably does not cover the cost of the vehicle [and] the cost of staff to be out there.” The department asked the county’s public‑sector cost consultant — the group that prepares cost reports for ambulance transports — to compute a cost-per-hour standby figure the county could use to recover full costs. Staff also suggested coordination with the Tourist Development Council (TDC) and event organizers where standby costs might be eligible for event support. Commissioners asked how standby is staffed: staff said assignments are offered to auxiliary personnel first and then to full‑time staff; if full‑time staff are used outside their regular shift the county pays overtime. Commissioners and staff discussed the past model in which vendors paid employees directly and the legal and tax issues that prompted the county to require vendors to contract through the county and pay the county, which in turn pays personnel through county payroll so taxes and benefits are handled properly. Staff proposed returning to the board with a cost-per-hour standby analysis, recommended new billing rules or a policy to ensure the county is not subsidizing private events, and noted some events receive board-approved fee waivers. No formal rate change was adopted at the hearing; commissioners asked staff to bring back documented cost figures and a policy recommendation.
