Fire and EMS present three staffing pathways; full county-employed fire/EMS would raise costs but increase coverage

A Fire/EMS presenter (Neil, Fire/EMS staff member) told the board that call volume has increased and that the county sometimes relies on mutual aid or experiences excessive response times. “We have issues with the need for calling for mutual aid from our neighbors as well as times when we just have excessive response times,” Neil said.

Staff presented three staffed-coverage options and their FY26 cost implications: - Option 1: Maintain the current mix of contract and county staffing (no additional county hires). Cost estimate: about $2,300,000. "This is certainly the simplest ... It is the least expensive," the presenter said. - Option 2: Transition to county-employed EMS-only personnel (would raise coverage from 336 to 384 hours per week); estimated cost just over $2.7 million. Staff noted this model would require managing federal overtime rules that limit many employees to 40 hours before overtime is due. - Option 3: Transition to county-employed combined fire/EMS personnel (would provide about 504 hours of coverage per week; three crews operating 24/7 with fire/EMS cross-training); estimated cost about $2.87 million. The presenter said federal rules allow firefighters to work up to 53 hours per week before overtime would apply, creating some overtime savings versus an EMS-only county-staffed model.

Staff argued that the county-employed fire/EMS model (Option 3) would increase predictable local staffing, eliminate mid-year contract-rate increases, and allow the county to capture retirement-related supplements already paid by the county (VRS hazardous duty supplement). The presenter compared coverage to cost, saying that for about 23% more funding the county would get roughly 50% more coverage time compared with the current arrangement.

Revenue and billing context: staff reported EMS transport revenue and collection statistics for context: $482,000 billed for the year-to-date with a historical 12‑month billed amount near $919,000 and net collection around 62.2%; average cash per trip was about $438.

Next steps: staff said the options could be phased in over time, that close collaboration with volunteer fire departments would be required if county-employed crews are added, and that the board must weigh coverage improvements against additional ongoing operating costs when choosing how to balance the FY26 budget.