Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Medical Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County EMS reports 2024 call increases, improved response times; staffing and equipment needs raised
Summary
Atchison County EMS reported 2024 call volume rose by about 202 responses versus prior year and discussed staffing pressure, longer out-of-county transfer distances, the acquisition of ventilators, and potential staffing expansions.
Corey Scott, Atchison County EMS director, presented the department’s 2024 response report to the commission on Jan. 28 and highlighted an increase of approximately 202 responses over the prior year and a longer-term rise of roughly 862 calls since the county started its current ambulance operation model. Scott said response times improved in 2024 and credited that to staff effort and leadership.
Scott outlined operational pressures: transfer volume and transfer distances have increased such that ambulances were out of county 15.5 more days in 2024 than in 2017, which raises costs for fuel, maintenance and overtime. He said the service previously staffed five-person crews and now staffs six people at all times (plus administrative staff), and that call volume has risen 45–47% since 2017 while staffing increased by “only 3 more people total.”
Scott said adding personnel would provide flexibility but would raise ongoing payroll and benefit costs and could trigger facility expansion if multiple full-time positions are added. He proposed adding personnel to restore a paramedic fly-car model and to rotate workload, but noted adding six full-time positions would create significant recurring costs and facility constraints.
On equipment, Scott rebutted a claim heard in a separate meeting that ventilators were being modified for transport. He said, “I would never allow a FDA prescription device that had been modified in any way, shape, or form on our ambulances,” and clarified the county has not used hospital-acquired COVID ventilators for ambulance transport. He reported the department has acquired transport-capable ventilators (funded by the Patterson Family Grant) and crews trained on them; Scott and Dr. Leck were preparing a protocol. He also raised recruitment and retention concerns for paramedics with competing employers and suggested pay adjustments might be needed to retain staff.
Why it matters: Rising call volume and longer transfers affect EMS availability, county budgets (overtime, fuel, maintenance) and response capability. Commissioners acknowledged the need to consider staffing and pay changes as budget decisions.
Ending: Scott asked the commission to consider staffing and compensation options in upcoming budget discussions and thanked commissioners for including EMS staff in a recent public meeting.
