County to change ambulance move-up policy; Wellsville unit to stage at Tennessee/I-35 when Ottawa units are outside city limits

County EMS leadership presented a change to ambulance move-up policy at the Aug. 6 Franklin County Commission meeting and said staff will implement the new protocol immediately.

Christine, an EMS staff member, said last year’s study showed automatic move-ups were not being used efficiently and that pausing the previous rule would improve county coverage. Under the new procedure, a Wellsville ambulance will move up only when the county’s Ottawa units are both out of the Ottawa city limits; rather than staging all the way in Ottawa, the Wellsville unit will stage at the Tennessee/I‑35 intersection, which staff said improves countywide access.

Christine also said the captain will retain discretion to request a move-up in specific circumstances and that some calls (for example, cardiac arrest or other high-acuity incidents) can take much longer to clear. Staff said the department will track move-up and system-status events to monitor whether the change improves coverage.

Commissioners raised questions about staffing and vehicle replacement timing; staff said the county is procuring a new ambulance and reviewing longer-term staffing implications should demand increase in Wellsville. The commission did not take a formal vote; staff said they would implement the change immediately.

The EMS presenter said two-person ALS staffing would be required if and when a new permanent ambulance is added in Wellsville, and that personnel costs, not the vehicle itself, would be the larger long-term expense.