San Juan County EMS says Bluff ambulance will shift to first-responder model, outlines local training plan

Jeremy Hogard, San Juan County EMS director, told the Bluff Town Council that the ambulance serving Bluff will be reclassified from a transporting ambulance to a non-transporting first-responder unit because the county cannot legally staff a transporting ambulance 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the town’s current roster. “We had to change the status of the ambulance from a transporting ambulance to a non transporting ambulance,” Hogard said, explaining the move was required for compliance with Utah rules after the state moved EMS oversight into the Department of Public Safety.

Hogard framed the transition as a staffing problem, not a policy choice: the town has three EMS providers locally and cannot maintain the full shift coverage needed for a transporting unit. He said the county’s goal is to expand local capacity so Bluff receives more reliable, continuous coverage.

The county’s near-term plan centers on recruiting locally and offering entry-level Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) training in Bluff. Hogard said a locally run EMR class requires at least 10 committed students to be economical; the course is about 52 hours, while an EMT course is about 160 hours and advanced certification adds roughly 200 more hours. He estimated the course fee at about $300 per student to cover instructional costs and materials (testing fees would be additional). “If you had 10 good dedicated first responders in addition to your 3 dedicated EMS providers … you should be able to cover that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” he said.

Hogard cautioned that EMR-certified providers will be limited to first response and could not legally perform patient transport in ordinary circumstances. He described legal exceptions for catastrophic incidents: “In extreme cases, which catastrophes fit into, we can take the rules and we don’t throw them out the window. We just set them aside.”

Council members asked about incentives and schedules. Hogard described current on-call pay as modest and variable — roughly a few dollars per hour plus per-shift compensation — and said field pay for time on the truck is also provided. He said the county is exploring a hybrid training model (some in-Bluff sessions plus centralized skills sessions) to lower travel burdens and may help run two classes per week locally.

Hogard invited residents and interested students to sign up; he said a hybrid EMR course was planned to begin July 8. Council members and staff offered limited local funding and a September fundraiser as potential financial support for training slots. Hogard also encouraged high-school shadowing and ride-along options where legally allowed. He emphasized the county’s intent to maintain and improve service: “We have no intentions of shutting anything down or cutting anything.”

The council did not take formal action on EMS staffing at the meeting; members agreed to help publicize the training, connect interested residents to county staff, and explore modest town support for course scholarships.