Lander County EMS reports rising call volume, a major vehicle collision and plans for training and billing improvements

Lander County Emergency Medical Services reported rising call volume, staffing stability and equipment needs at the county commission’s Jan. 6 meeting.

Mike Harris, Lander County EMS director, told the board the service handled 1,067 calls in the past year with 907 calls in the northern part of the county and 160 in Austin. Battle Mountain General Hospital received 299 of the northern calls; 96 northern calls were airlifted. Harris said the service logged 125 instances when the primary unit was “encumbered” and a secondary unit had to cover — a metric staff said they will monitor for response-time impacts.

Harris also reported that Rescue 5 — an ambulance — was involved in a collision on State Route 376 and is out of service while insurance and repairs are resolved. No one was injured in the collision, Harris said, and the county expects its new ambulance to arrive by mid‑2026.

Staffing and training: Harris said the service has three full‑time paramedics and two full‑time EMTs on staff; one full‑time vacancy will be posted and is expected to be filled promptly. Harris said several EMTs are close to completing the training steps that would allow them to advance to paramedic certification. The county expects to run an EMT pilot class next month with 26 students slated to start; the county plans free public training sessions including stop‑the‑bleed and hands‑only CPR in Kingston, Austin and Battle Mountain.

Billing and grants: Lander County EMS started billing for services in mid‑February and through about nine months of operations sent out $607,090.72 in charges; staff cautioned the board that collections will be lower after Medicare/Medicaid rules and self‑pay writeoffs and that the billing vendor is working to recover deposits placed in the wrong account. Harris said the county secured multiple grants to offset equipment needs: a donation toward GlideScope video laryngoscopy equipment and full funding from PoolPack for a training‑platform purchase (Vector Solutions). Harris said the county is exploring support from the Nevada School of Medicine and Nevada Works for paramedic training scholarships, including roughly $20,000-per‑student paramedic tuition support through partners.

Equipment lifecycle: Harris said cardiac monitors and infusion pumps are reaching end-of-life and are expensive to replace; EMS staff will pursue grants before requesting a major county appropriation.

Harris described recent training initiatives including combined tactical casualty care training with the sheriff’s office and entry into the federal IIROC system so the county can bid for federal contracts.

Commissioners thanked Harris and county partners for response successes. The record also included email praise from external providers that credited county EMS crews with life‑saving care in at least one case, and commissioners said the service’s performance justified continued investment in training and equipment.

What’s next: EMS will post the vacant position, continue the EMT course rollout and seek grant funding for monitors and pumps. The board approved EMS policies and procedures and the GBC affiliation (separate agenda items) to support clinical training and compliance.