Edgar County hears 2025 EMS report; board forms contract-review committee

Edgar County officials received a year‑end briefing on ambulance and 911 operations and agreed to form a committee to review the county's EMS contract.

"We ended our year with a total of 2,861 911 calls," the EMS presenter reported, adding that 2,563 of those calls resulted in either a patient transport or a refusal of care and that the system averaged just under six minutes in‑route to arrival — roughly three minutes faster than the rural national benchmark he cited. The presenter also reported 97 emergent inter‑facility transfers, 425 non‑emergent transfers and 19 cardiac‑arrest dispatches for 2025.

Board members asked for more detail on January activity and operational readiness. The presenter said January included 270 911 calls with 247 completed and that the agency taught three classes in January and ran 10 intercept requests.

Directors and board members discussed timing for a planned move of 911 operations to the new jail and a cloud transition for call handling. Staff said AT&T, the county's phone provider, requires 30–60 days' notice for the switch, meaning the cutover could take up to two months once scheduled. The presenter said the county will bear the costs of moving equipment.

Because the county will rebid the EMS contract, the board asked for a small committee to prepare the procurement and review contract requirements. Board members volunteered to serve and staff agreed to resend the current contract to committee members for review.

The board did not take formal action on service levels or budgets during the study session; members directed staff to prepare contract materials and timeline for the committee to consider at a future meeting.