Greene County approves paid paramedic training, hears ambulance service update

Speaker 6, an EMS/animal-services representative, told the Greene County board that December ambulance revenue was $92,488.55 and that the county’s ambulance service had a 2025 year-to-date total of $2,031,456.91 — the first time the program surpassed $2 million. He said the service logged 413 calls in December with 323 transports.

Speaker 6 described recent maintenance challenges: unit 450 is at Brexford Ford in Jasper for alternator and sensor work; the county expects repairs by the end of the week. He said a new ambulance will be assigned to Linton Station because it is the busiest station, and explained concerns about older side-load, van‑style chassis that lack power load mechanisms and increase risk of injury and limit access to patients.

The board heard that the local hospital will close its OB delivery services at month’s end. Speaker 6 said the hospital’s medical director, Dr. Gamboa, and EMS staff agreed obstetric emergencies will be handled using a time‑sensitive protocol comparable to cardiac/STEMI responses and that EMS will transfer patients to definitive care centers. Because transfers to other facilities may take two to three hours, Speaker 6 said the county is exploring a transport incubator and funding options and is assessing bed compatibility across ambulances so an incubator could be secured and swapped as needed.

Speaker 6 also reported equipment upgrades: three new cardiac/monitor devices approved by the board have arrived and include infant, pediatric and adult modes (fixing an earlier limitation in infant/pediatric AED functionality). New video laryngoscopes ("Visualize Airways" in the transcript) are also in service, and the hospital will assist with training.

On training, Speaker 6 said an educational partner offered Greene County one free paramedic-school slot per year and one free EMT slot annually; the county estimates the paramedic slot’s full cost (including housing in some cases) could exceed $20,000. Speaker 6 proposed selecting a candidate by seniority and continuing the employee’s regular pay during training, modeled on how deputies are paid while attending the sheriff’s academy. He outlined the class timeline: March 16–July 3 for classroom/clinical instruction, licensing likely by mid‑August and hospital credentialing that could place newly credentialed medics on the street around September–October.

Speaker 3 moved, and Speaker 4 seconded, a motion to allow Greene County ambulance employees to attend paramedic school and be paid while receiving training. The motion was made and seconded at the meeting; the board discussed administrative follow-up (position‑description edits and payroll mechanics) and Speaker 6 said he would provide monthly updates on students’ progress. Speaker 5 noted the item will appear on the county commissioners’ agenda on Feb. 3 for historical consistency with how such matters are handled.

The board assigned follow-up tasks: review of physician/position descriptions to permit paid training without creating an appearance of "ghost employment," research into whether preceptors should receive compensation, and a budget note to capture payroll impacts. Speaker 6 said he will report back with recommended preceptor compensation data and other implementation details.

What happens next: the training proposal will be on the Greene County commissioners’ agenda on Feb. 3, and EMS staff will bring monthly progress reports while the county finalizes position descriptions and budget adjustments.

Sources: Presentation and remarks by Speaker 6 and discussion and motions by Speakers 1, 3, 4 and 5 during the meeting.