Bannock County commissioners voted Dec. 23 to require the event organizer to pay the ambulance district’s hard overtime costs of $780 for an ambulance standby at the Lava Springs Fire & Ice event on Feb. 7, 2026, and accepted a waiver for the remaining estimated standby fee.

Ryan O'Hearn of the Bannock County Ambulance District and Tyson of the Lava Springs Chamber presented the district’s estimate and operational options. O'Hearn said the district’s standby‑rate model yields a total standby fee of about $2,040 (the district’s standby rate is $170 per hour, historically), and that the hard overtime cost for one staffed ambulance during the event would be about $780. O'Hearn described two deployment options: treating the event like a special standby (charging the fee) or prepositioning a staffed ambulance in Lava (similar to July 4 deployments) to reduce response times but at the risk of drawing resources from elsewhere.

Commissioners expressed concerns that a full waiver would shift costs from out‑of‑area visitors to Bannock County taxpayers. After discussion about alternatives — including locating an ambulance in McCammon as a pilot and asking event organizers or other participants to help cover costs — a commissioner moved to charge only the $780 hard cost and waive the remainder; the commission approved the motion by voice vote.

Beyond the fee decision, O'Hearn presented the ambulance district’s quarterly update for South County: year‑to‑date incidents through mid‑November were about 450 (roughly 1–2 calls per day), overlapping calls (concurrent incidents) are approximately 9% systemwide, and modeling indicates that placing an ALS ambulance in McCammon would reduce modeled response times to Lava and Downey by roughly 25–26 minutes in their scenarios. O'Hearn also described workforce challenges: of 25 people who began an EMT class in 2023, about eight remain active with the district; the district is partnering with ISU and Caribou County on training and is exploring funding streams, including an anticipated reconciliation related to a new funding source expected in May 2026 (not yet finalized).

O'Hearn said a stakeholder work group — including South County volunteer coordinators and the medical director — will convene after the new year to develop options and return with more detailed budgets and implementation plans. Commissioners asked that local mayors and volunteers be included, and flagged concerns about out‑of‑service times and whether a move to full‑time staffing in McCammon could be sustained in future fiscal years.

What happens next: the district will convene the work group in January, refine cost and staffing estimates, and report back to the commission; the Lava Springs organizer will be charged $780 for the event’s ambulance hard costs as approved.