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Cooke County EMS outlines ambulance, equipment and staffing needs as calls rise
Summary
Wes, an emergency‑services official, told commissioners the county’s EMS needs include new Stryker cots priced about $37,654, consideration of remounts for ambulances, a possible additional ambulance/station as call volume grows (projected 6,224 calls), and an associate medical director position to support protocols.
Wes (first name only), an emergency‑services official speaking for Cooke County EMS/Fire, presented the department’s FY26 budget highlights on Oct. 11, pressing for equipment replacements, planning for increased call volume and a proposed associate medical director.
On life‑support equipment, Wes said many patient cots are past recommended service life and quoted a price of $37,654 for a Stryker cot. “The medical field is ridiculously expensive for a cot. It's $37,654,” he told the court. He said the department plans to replace one cot per year and noted that some older units are no longer eligible for manufacturer service agreements.
Wes recommended looking at remounting an eligible ambulance rather than buying a new unit, citing a remount as roughly $90,000 cheaper than a new ambulance in the department’s cost estimate. He said the county’s backup ambulance lacks some capabilities of the frontline unit, reducing service capacity when the backup is used.
Wes also discussed service capacity: projected call volume for the year was about 6,224 calls and response time had increased to 9 minutes, 7 seconds (up from 8 minutes, 48 seconds). He said roughly 30% of EMS trips go out of county for specialty care and that average total call time is about 53 minutes in‑county and about 1 hour 20 minutes for out‑of‑county transports.
To address growing demand, Wes proposed considering an additional ambulance and possibly a new station in developing areas such as Valley View, but he described that as a longer‑term planning issue because of the expense. He also described a potential intermediate step of relocating or modifying existing stations to house an additional crew without new construction.
Wes proposed adding an associate medical director to share the load with the current medical director. He said local physician engagement had been helpful and proposed a budget figure of $40,000 up to $65,000 for medical direction — lower than commercial services many departments use.
Wes noted a new state rural ambulance grant that may accept applications starting in September with county fiscal‑year timing affecting when the county can apply; he said the department would monitor that opportunity but emphasized it is not guaranteed. No formal actions were taken at the hearing; the items were entered into the FY26 budget record for commission consideration.
