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Geary County EMS reports higher call volume, flags equipment and CIP funding needs
Summary
Geary County emergency medical services told commissioners first-quarter call volume and routine transports rose compared with 2024; staff outlined planned equipment replacements, a $72,500 CIP line and recruitment efforts but did not request a formal appropriation at the meeting.
Geary County emergency medical services reported a rise in calls and routine transports in the first quarter and outlined near-term equipment needs and capital-improvement planning at a commission meeting.
Josh (staff member) briefed the commission that the first-quarter billing cycle (labeled “Omni” in the packet) showed total charges of $337,360.50 and payments, adjustments and insurer receipts of $126,001.86. Kent (staff member) said call volume is “up,” with increases in EMS responses, routine transports and medical assists compared with the previous year.
County EMS staff said much of the increased activity stems from normal sick- and injury-related runs after a storm-driven 2024. Kent said the department is analysing call locations within Junction City, Milford, Grandview Plaza and unincorporated areas to better understand usage patterns.
Staff described equipment the department is prioritizing for replacement. Josh listed monitor and patient-care systems as high priority and gave sticker-price figures during discussion: roughly $50,000 for a monitor, about $27,000 for an auto-pulse device and roughly $10,000–$16,000 for a ventilator (figures presented by staff as order-of-magnitude estimates). Commissioners and staff discussed keeping the same monitor platform (ZOLL) to simplify training and software updates.
Commissioners were briefed on the county’s capital improvement plan (CIP) approach. Josh said a CIP allocation of $72,500 had been included for related needs; staff acknowledged that amount will not cover all equipment and that replacement of a med unit (ambulance) or large pieces of equipment would require larger budgeting decisions.
On staffing, EMS staff said the department is actively recruiting locally and through school programs; several new hires are expected to start in May. Staff said one employee was on leave and that the service continues to focus on growing a local recruitment pipeline via school visits, job shadowing and internships.
No formal motion or vote was taken on equipment purchases during the presentation. Commissioners asked staff to return for the budget process with refined cost estimates and potential funding options.
The commission also heard a brief explanation of a state reporting change that would suppress small counts: Kent said the state plans to “suppress any value less than 3” on certain reported data elements to reduce risk of identifying individuals, and staff expect an implementation around June; the department said it will continue collecting data but will mask low counts when producing public summaries.
Looking ahead, staff said they will present more-detailed CIP and budget requests during the upcoming budget workshops so commissioners can consider funding heavier replacements or ambulance procurement.
