Greene County EMS director details ambulance repairs, inventory changes and mass-casualty planning

The ambulance director told the Greene County EMS Board on an October meeting that several ambulances are under repair, the service is changing how it tracks inventory and maintenance, and staff are expanding training and mass-casualty coordination with local hospitals and volunteer fire departments.

The update centered on vehicle readiness and supply tracking. The director said ambulance 3477 returned from major front-end work but remains out of service until rear door latches are installed, while unit 0067 has been out for months awaiting parts from Canada for a patient-compartment air-conditioning repair. The director said smaller routine maintenance (oil changes, alignments) is current and that the service is standardizing equipment bags so any crew can use a reserve unit without searching for supplies.

Why it matters: Board members and staff framed the changes as steps to reduce delays in emergency response, improve documentation for liability and grant applications, and ensure that reserve units can be used immediately during large incidents.

Vehicle repairs and tires

The director described one recently repaired ambulance whose front end work included new calipers, brakes and rotors and said another truck will receive three replacement rear tires that were already purchased. He said fleet vendors have included Midwest, Landons and Bob Walters and that the service is consolidating purchases to get better pricing; he singled out one vendor that has offered to mount and balance tires at no charge when tires are bought there. He also noted a standing shop slot for routine oil changes and a plan to keep a rotated stock of tires purchased when county funds are available.

Inventory, contract renewal and documentation

The service uses an inventory and maintenance software that is currently licensed for seven maintenance seats and five inventory seats. The director said that arrangement prevents reserve trucks from being properly reflected in the inventory when crews change trucks. He and County Attorney Martin have been asked to review an option to expand to seven inventory seats so every truck can be tracked and kept "stocked, ready to go." The county attorney review is expected before the contract renewal in November.

The director said the service has already changed its reporting rules: "If you are dispatched by our county dispatchers, whether you leave the building or just the parking lot, there has to be some type of report with it to protect us as a county," which he said will increase non-transport records but produce truer run counts for grants and liability protection.

Grants, equipment and staffing

The director reported the state issued an AED grant for basic-life-support (BLS) non-transport agencies; four of five volunteer fire departments have received notification of award and the grant application period was extended so the fifth department can be funded. He credited the service’s training officer, Smith Orthortney, with guiding new hires through requirements and said he will shift to more administrative duties starting in November.

Hospital handoffs, trauma coordination and decontamination planning

A hospital representative at the meeting said ambulance response and transfer delays have improved and that the hospital reviews transports that exceed two hours to check for patient harm. The representative identified Travis Hutchins as the hospital’s new trauma coordinator and said Hutchins will enter trauma cases into the state registry and review response times.

Hospital staff said they are also working with local officers and nurses to develop a decontamination/hazmat plan. The hospital will send a local police officer named Ivan for FEMA hazmat training and is coordinating with Ken Wagner, an ER registered nurse who previously set up a county decontamination program, to train local responders as "superuser" trainers.

Mass-casualty and interagency coordination

Board members asked about staging and command for mass-casualty events. The director said the county is moving toward clearer roles: reserve units will be stocked at the Lehi Station so arriving volunteers can jump into ready vehicles; training and airway courses compatible with ambulance equipment are planned with volunteer fire departments beginning in November; and the county’s emergency management director will host advanced incident-command courses locally for supervisors.

The director also suggested outreach to nearby training institutions and described early talks with local volunteer chiefs, including Brian Woodall of Swiss City (as referenced in the meeting), about joint training and expectations for staging, supervisory roles and staging officers at scenes.

Operations metrics and finances

The director reported last month’s billed revenue at $183,299.19 and said year-to-date collections were $82,238.33 ahead of the previous year. He said the service ran 390 calls last month, 319 of which were transports, and expects emergency-department visits to set a new annual record.

Next steps and timeline

County Attorney Martin will review the inventory/maintenance contract before renewal in November. The hospital and EMS leaders plan additional joint training, decontamination planning and incident-command courses; the ambulance director will shift toward more office and administrative duties beginning in November while staff cover more regular shifts.

Votes at the meeting were limited to routine procedural items: the board approved the minutes of the Sept. 16 meeting and later voted to adjourn.