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EMS asks council to fund schedule change and equipment to stem staffing losses
Summary
Lancaster County EMS urged council to consider converting crews from a 24/48 to 24/72 schedule to improve retention and reduce overtime costs; staff said a full rollout needs ~23 new hires and an estimated $2.3M, and also requested capital for QRVs, a generator, body cameras and a mini-ambulance.
Lancaster County EMS told the council the service is stretched by rising call volumes and losing staff to neighboring counties that already use a 24/72 schedule.
EMS leadership reported record response numbers and several state awards. The EMS presentation said county crews currently operate on a 24/48 schedule that averages about 112 hours per pay period; moving to a 24/72 schedule would reduce average hours to ~84 per pay period and make Lancaster more competitive for retention. The director said the agency is losing staff in part because candidates can get similar pay and substantially more days off elsewhere.
Two implementation options were presented: a full countywide transition to 24/72 (estimated one-time and recurring costs totaling roughly $2.3M annually and about 23 additional full-time hires to create a fourth shift) and a phased/partial rollout. EMS said both alternatives would preserve the existing truck footprint; the full rollout is intended to reduce recruiting/training churn and improve consistent coverage.
In capital and operational requests the EMS director asked for: a Kershaw station generator to avoid abandoning stations during outages; additional QRVs (quick-response vehicles) to fill coverage gaps; a mini-ambulance for special events; conversion of a grant-funded paramedic instructor to a permanent position; and consideration of body-worn cameras for employee and county protection. EMS also proposed a $45 standby fee for medics at county events and a $150 charge to some assisted-living facilities to discourage recurring non-emergency 911 calls when facilities have medical staff on site.
Council reaction: members asked for line-item detail and the finance office's cost calculations. Staff said the EMS packet contains the payroll math and that a phased rollout is possible. No funding decisions were made; council asked for additional financial analysis and follow-up materials for the operating-budget review.
Provenance: the EMS discussion and the 24/72 cost breakdown and equipment requests are documented in the departmental slides and the presentation segments.
