Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ems Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Amelia County fire and EMS present three staffing options; county‑employed model promises more coverage for higher cost
Summary
Fire and EMS staff presented three staffing pathways to the Board — keep existing contract/combination staffing (~$2.33M), transition to county EMS‑only employees (~$2.7M), or transition to county fire‑EMS employees (~$2.87M). Staff said option 3 would increase coverage by roughly 50% for about 23% more cost compared with the status quo.
County fire and emergency medical services staff presented three staffing options to the Board of Supervisors that would increase coverage but would raise the department’s FY26 personnel costs.
An Emergency Services presenter (the EMS briefing team) outlined the three pathways: option 1 — maintain the status quo with the current mix of county personnel and contracted staff (staff estimated cost just over $2.33 million); option 2 — transition to county‑employed EMS personnel only (estimated cost just over $2.7 million); and option 3 — transition to county‑employed cross‑trained fire‑EMS personnel (estimated cost about $2.87 million).
The presenter said option 3 would expand coverage to what staff described as 504 hours of coverage during the week with two staffed ambulances and one staffed fire apparatus available per day; “for the additional 23% more funding, we would receive 50% more coverage time,” the presenter said. Staff said county employment would also reduce the price volatility and accountability issues associated with contracted personnel, and take advantage of a VRS hazardous‑duty supplement already supported by the board.
Staff acknowledged operational constraints and volunteer relations. The presenter said the county could not afford to replace volunteers and that county employees would be intended to supplement — not supplant — volunteer staffing. Staff reported they had briefed volunteer chiefs and said three chiefs were “100% on board” while two had concerns staff believed could be addressed through collaboration.
Billing and revenue recovery were reviewed: staff reported about $482,000 in recovery for the current year; over the last 12 months those runs produced $919,000 billed and $572,000 collected (a net collection rate of 62.2%), with an average cash per trip of $438. Staff also noted that attempting to cover the same set of shifts entirely with contract personnel would cost more than $3 million, so the county‑employed models could be less expensive than full contracting for similar coverage.
The board asked questions about station readiness for overnight staffing and the potential to convert some firehouses into sleeping quarters; staff said some stations could be converted relatively easily while others would need larger upgrades and that building conversions would take multiple years and additional capital funding.
Next steps: staff said the county would phase any hiring over time if the board chooses to transition to county personnel and would return cost comparisons and implementation details to the board for decisions during the budget process.
