Iowa Falls EMT urges Hardin County supervisors to pursue EMS as essential service

Phil Getkin, an Iowa Falls resident and certified EMT, used the public-comment period at the Jan. 8 Hardin County supervisors meeting to urge the board to pursue establishing EMS as a central (essential) county service and to plan outreach that includes township trustees and frontline providers.

Getkin described his experience in Webster County, where he said a proposed top-end levy of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed value translated to roughly "$42 and change" after rollback mechanisms, a difference he said was crucial to public acceptance. He warned that, when counties have multiple EMS services, tax revenue must be allocated to the townships that each service covers — a rule he described as causing "huge problems" in another county's rollout. "If you have multiple services in your county, the tax money received needs to be appropriated to the townships that are covered by the each individual service," Getkin said.

Getkin recommended seeking the maximum allowable levy because, after rollback adjustments, the effective taxpayer impact may be substantially lower than the nominal rate. He urged supervisors to include frontline EMS personnel in presentations to the public, saying direct testimony from providers builds support: "people need to hear not from those that are at the top line, but those that are on the front line."

Supervisor 2 responded by emphasizing the need to involve township trustees and EMS providers in planning and acknowledged that the county's process under Iowa law requires the board to facilitate the referendum. Supervisor 2 cautioned that the process will likely take time to ensure service standards and equitable coverage countywide, noting the challenge of providing consistent service in small, rural areas. "We definitely want the EMS providers to, you know, give them their input and advice because every township's a little different," Supervisor 2 said.

Getkin also cited infrastructure and funding examples: he described a Gowry-area project funded by a USDA grant that built a facility with sleeping rooms and a third bay, and noted some allowable uses of levy funds (payroll and buildings) while saying vehicle purchases are typically funded by grants. He described volunteer retention and recruiting as urgent issues and said, "It's needed more than just for the next couple of years." He also recounted that in some incidents volunteers were not available and mutual aid response times were longer than ideal, underscoring his argument for establishing a funded, central service.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: supervisors acknowledged Getkin's points and indicated the board will engage townships, EMS providers and hospitals in the process; a timeline for a referendum or formal proposal was not set during the meeting.