Sherman County adopts EMS second‑out staffing policy change; commissioners discuss mental-health support for first responders

The Sherman County Board of Commissioners approved a change to the county's Emergency Medical Services second‑out policy to conform with recent Kansas statutory language for communities with populations under 30,000. The approved change allows a second‑out ambulance to respond with one ALS technician and one CPR‑certified non‑technician driver (the transcript notes county employees or county firefighters are typically used for this role) when staffing shortages prevent two certified technicians from staffing the ambulance.

The ambulance service representative told the commission the policy is intended for emergency situations, not routine use, and cited an example where multiple patients taxed local EMS staffing. The meeting record includes a description of a recent multi‑vehicle incident and earlier concerns involving KBEMS (Kansas Board of EMS) review; the speaker said the policy change provides legal cover when a non‑technician must drive on a second‑out response.

Commissioners and staff also discussed mental‑health supports for responders after mass‑casualty and traumatic incidents. The ambulance representative said county staff had access to post‑incident counseling through a foundation that has visited the county and that he had been in contact with a Colorado‑based counselor who offers services across multiple counties; he offered to reach out to surrounding counties and regional EMS to explore a shared contract for counselor services. Commissioners emphasized the importance of follow-up and the culture in emergency services where personnel often "bottle up" traumatic experiences.

The commission moved and seconded the policy change; the motion recorded in the transcript passed with all commissioners voting "aye." The meeting record shows the county intends to circulate the updated policy to EMS providers and fire departments and to follow up on implementation steps.