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Richland County ambulance director warns of equipment strain, outlines staffing and paramedic upgrade plans
Summary
The Richland County joint ambulance committee reviewed staffing shortages, equipment failures and a plan to upgrade to paramedic-level service; the director said a recent wage study should begin implementation in mid-January and flagged a time-sensitive ARPA-funded equipment decision.
The Richland County joint ambulance committee heard a detailed director’s report Wednesday on staffing, equipment problems and steps to move the service toward paramedic-level capability.
The director told the committee that the service currently has six full-time and six part-time positions, plus paid-on-call staff, and that “we were about 4 people short in June for staffing at 1, and 24/7” as the service evaluates what it would take to reliably staff two ambulances around the clock. The director said a county wage study is nearly complete and that implementation of pay changes is expected to begin in mid-January.
Why it matters: Committee members said retaining staff and addressing overtime are central to reliable 24/7 coverage. The director recommended a business plan and a non-lapsing capital fund to pay for ambulance replacement, stretchers and other high-value equipment.
The director reported persistent vehicle reliability problems — several ambulances have been repaired and returned to service only briefly — and suggested alternatives including leasing or targeted borrowing. He outlined a capital-planning workshop and recommended the committee consider setting aside funds specifically for replacement cycles of critical equipment such as stretchers and power-load systems.
On fleet opportunities, the director said a neighboring service that is ceasing operations offered equipment and ambulances, but the lease terms appear to require a buyout rather than a simple transfer. The director warned of a tight timeline for using $51,000 in ARPA funds that the service has available and said staff would bring possible offers and recommendations to a special meeting if necessary.
“We anticipate receiving about $80,000 worth of periodic medications — not including narcotics — and those have expirations into 2026,” the director said, adding that legal and paperwork steps remain before any transfer of controlled or donated supplies can occur.
Operations and data: The director said the service is moving from dispatch logs to patient-care reporting software for event timing and identified current response-time metrics: a unit-notified-to-en route average of 2.15 minutes with a recent target of about 1.2 minutes in some months, an en route‑to‑on‑scene average of roughly 5 minutes for many calls, and an on-scene average of 29 minutes (with a goal nearer 15–25 minutes depending on case complexity). He reported 999 calls in the system from Jan. 1 through Dec. 1.
Workforce well-being: The director highlighted peer-support and mental-health measures for staff, saying that critical-stress debrief resources and a peer-support program are being developed and proposing a therapy dog program as an additional support. “I myself diagnosed PTSD in 02/2017,” he said to explain the urgency behind peer-support efforts.
Administrative items: The committee appointed Samantha Kepler as secretary after a motion and voice vote. The director also reported that a new billing company has begun work and that a software go‑live and training schedule is set for January, with a soft launch planned later in the month. A financial update from staff noted about $8,000 remaining in the service bank account and that the county administrator has agreed to temporarily cover shortfalls while municipalities finalize outstanding contributions.
What’s next: Committee members discussed forming a subcommittee to draft a five-year plan and to prepare renewed agreements with participating municipalities for calendar-year contracts. The director said he would pursue follow-up items — including contract/lease documents for the ambulances being offered, the ARPA spending timetable, and cost estimates — and called for further discussion at a special meeting if needed.
The meeting ended after tabling an organizational-chart review and other follow-up actions; formal votes recorded during the meeting included approval of the agenda, appointment of the secretary and approval of minutes.
