Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ems topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Amelia County EMS reports rising call volumes, planned shift from contract crews and new state mandates
Summary
Emergency management staff told the Board that EMS call volume has grown about 10% in the last year and roughly 50% since 2018; the county is considering transitioning contract crews to county employees, must meet an April 15 state pharmaceutical program mandate and will lose state funding for electronic patient care reporting on July 1.
Emergency management leaders told the Amelia County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that emergency medical services have seen significant growth in demand and face new state mandates and funding losses.
"Over the past calendar year, call volume has basically increased about 10%. If you look back as far as 2018 ... the increase has been almost 50%," Emerson, the county's emergency management/EMS presenter, told the board. He said career or contract staff answered about 91% of calls last year while volunteers answered 8.9%.
The presenter said revenue recovery for the last calendar year totaled $563,000, and that the first six months of the county fiscal year produced $377,000 with a net collection percent of 59.7. He cautioned the board that those revenue figures exclude billing fees paid to third‑party vendors.
Why it matters: Board members were told the combination of rising call volumes, state mandates and vendor fees will affect near‑term budgets and staffing decisions.
Supporting details: The department currently employs three full‑time and seven part‑time county employees in EMS functions, the presenter said. The county has completed a new radio system rollout for public safety that has been live about two months and expects the rest of county agencies to be live by month end.
Mandates and funding: The presenter said the state has mandated a pharmaceutical program for any jurisdiction providing advanced life support and set an April 15 compliance date. He also said the state will stop funding the county's electronic patient care reporting system as of July 1, which will shift that expense to the county.
Staffing and operations: Officials discussed an effort to transition from contract EMS staff to county employees to eliminate mid‑year vendor price increases and to gain local control over scheduling and deployment. The department also flagged challenges in recruiting and keeping staff and volunteers. Apparatus space was described as a growing issue: newer ambulances are larger than existing bays and keeping expensive vehicles outside hampers readiness. Another operational constraint is equipment lead time; new ambulances and fire apparatus can have 24–36 month delivery timelines.
Board action and next steps: Supervisors asked staff to pursue individual briefings about possible staffing models and noted the county will explore grants and interlocal options, though presenters said pooled procurement or shared staffing is difficult because of liability concerns. The board also discussed communicating call‑volume and revenue metrics to the public to explain budget drivers.
Ending: No formal motion was recorded on Tuesday. County staff said they will schedule follow‑up meetings with board members to discuss the contract‑to‑county transition and to return with additional data.
