Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Services Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Stevensville fire official warns of missed EMS calls as volunteer roster, training funds shrink
Summary
Town fire representative told the council the department ran 78 calls in July, missed 11 EMS calls due to understaffing, and lacks training funds for volunteers after two years of cuts.
A Stevensville fire department representative told the Town Council on Aug. 14 that the department is understaffed for medical response, citing 78 requests for service in July and 11 missed emergency medical service calls.
The presenter reported that of the 78 July requests, 61 were medical calls, 14 were fires, three were vehicle crashes, six were mutual aid responses and 11 were missed EMS calls. The speaker said missed calls were driven by lack of available, trained volunteers.
The presenter described volunteer training as the main barrier to staffing: basic EMT classes run about $1,200 to $1,800 and require roughly 120 hours of instruction. He said that for two years in a row the council has not funded volunteer training reimbursement, leaving the department without training dollars that historically helped recruit and retain volunteers. The speaker said the volunteer roster has fallen to about 14 members from a historical full company of roughly 28 with a waiting list.
The official said missed calls often require waiting for an ambulance from neighboring Derby, and that the department would transport patients only when calls required advanced life support. The presenter asked the council to consider training and recruitment support; the meeting transcript shows the presenter described the current budget as not final but said funding cuts would make it difficult to sustain medical response levels.
No formal motion or council action on training funds was recorded during the meeting.
