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Northwest Kansas EMS reports 995 calls in 2025; staffing and licensing cited for transfer refusals
Summary
EMS leaders told commissioners the service ran about 995 calls in 2025 and reported roughly 150 transfers accepted and about 150 refused. Staffing limits, county licensing differences and non-medical-necessity requests were cited as common reasons for refusals.
Representatives of Northwest Kansas EMS briefed Sherman County commissioners on 2025 activity, staffing issues and capital needs.
The EMS chief reported the service ran approximately 995 calls in 2025. The service accepted roughly 150 transfers and refused about 150; commissioners were shown separate lists of accepted transfers, refused transfers (with reasons) and canceled transfers. EMS staff said common refusal reasons included lack of available crew, county-by-county licensing requirements (some Colorado counties require separate county certification), weather and long-mileage transfer requests that exceeded operational range. EMS personnel said some requests were for non-medical-necessity transports, which cannot be billed and were refused.
EMS leadership discussed vehicle capital planning and said the department aims to set aside about $150,000 per year toward ambulance replacement. The oldest transfer vehicle (Med 2) has about 100,000 miles and staff said they prefer an E-series chassis for better capacity and field capability. They cautioned that manufacturers reported long lead times; one vendor (Osage) estimated the earliest available delivery could be 2029.
EMS also noted a state BEMS on-site inspection was scheduled for Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. and leaders asked commissioners to note the timing. Commissioners thanked EMS staff for their service and discussed the balance between local response priorities and transfer revenue. No formal funding action for EMS capital was taken at the meeting; commissioners and EMS said they would review budget positions with auditors in March to determine available capital funds for equipment purchase planning.
