Cheshire County commissioners spent much of a brief budget-session meeting on concerns about emergency medical services staffing and finances, after a staff request underscored gaps in coverage.

An unidentified commissioner asked for an extension to cover an EMT on extended leave, saying the employee is on FMLA and will not be cleared to return until Jan. 1. That prompted a broader discussion about the county’s EMS model and recent claims about provider capacity.

"We're billing at about a $7,000,000 rate, but our receipts are much lower than that," said the unidentified speaker, who framed billing shortfalls as a major factor in local provider instability. The speaker also said a private provider had "$2,000,000 in debt," and warned that low reimbursement rates and constrained staffing make coverage unreliable.

Commissioners and other participants discussed the possibility of regionalizing services to spread costs and noted that some towns are reluctant to pay what they view as high contributions. The transcript records one account cited by commissioners that called into question a provider’s public staffing claims: Ryan Hornblower (described as having worked for a service and at Cheshire Medical Center) reportedly said that claims of "four medics on" were not accurate and that, "more times than not, I was the only medic... in all of Cheshire County." The meeting transcript did not include Hornblower speaking directly; the comment was recounted by a commissioner.

Speakers agreed to follow up with the county chief and with a contact identified as "Andy" and to consider inviting the chief to a future meeting to provide data on coverage, staffing and response capacity. No formal policy change or allocation was adopted during the session.

The county’s next steps include outreach to the chief and possible scheduling of a dedicated discussion about provider performance and funding options.