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Bannock County hears plan to base ALS ambulance in McCammon, proposes four full‑time medics
Summary
Pocatello fire officials told commissioners that volunteer ambulance coverage in South County has declined, doubling average response times in some areas; they proposed stationing an ALS ambulance in McCammon, hiring four Pocatello medics, and using GEMT and grant funds to cover salaries.
Pocatello interim fire chief Shane Growl told the Bannock County Board of Commissioners that volunteer shortages in South County have driven average 911 response times as high as 29 minutes 15 seconds in 2025, and asked the board to approve an ALS ambulance stationed at McCammon and four full‑time medic hires to create a stable primary response.
Growl said Pocatello staff and paramedics have been preparing for the expansion: a 2024 grant paid for a frontline ambulance now awaiting delivery, and an AFG training grant funded seven paramedic students who are expected to complete training in May. "We would like to keep the volunteers, we'd like to put an ambulance in McCammon," Growl said, adding the McCammon unit would be first‑due for many South County calls.
The presenters framed the move as a response to declining volunteer reliability. Autumn Baker gave unit‑reliability figures showing Lava Hot Springs at about 17%, Inkom at roughly 26–27%, and Downey at about 79%, with combined South County reliability down to about 51.3% in 2025. "Out of service means that there are no volunteers available for that shift," Growl said, noting that multiple volunteer units being out of service forces Pocatello frontline ambulances to cover long southbound responses.
Using historical call‑location modeling, the county's analysts projected that placing an ALS ambulance at McCammon would shorten ALS dispatch times by about 3 minutes 10 seconds to Inkom, about 25 minutes 45 seconds to Lava, and about 22 minutes 45 seconds to Downey compared with Pocatello dispatches. Growl cautioned that if a local volunteer unit is available it may still arrive faster: "If they're in service, they could beat the McCammon ambulance," he said.
Operationally, presenters proposed hiring four full‑time medics under the existing Pocatello Fire Department contract so they integrate into current platoon staffing, and converting volunteers to a supporting C‑platoon. They also recommended consolidating volunteer coordination into a single regional volunteer coordinator rather than three separate coordinator positions. The recommended interim staffing would cover A and B platoons while volunteers staff C platoon on available days.
On funding, officials said county receipt of GEMT (ground emergency medical transport) payments — an initial payment of about $784,000 and projected additional payments for 2024–25 that were described as "just over a million dollars annually" arriving in December 2027 — plus the new ambulance grant, could support the hires. They repeatedly noted the federal nature of GEMT and the need to plan if funding changes.
Commissioners asked for a written copy of the presentation and timetable; presenters said a May 18 fire academy start would require hiring direction before then. Commissioners emphasized that the new hires would be Pocatello employees working under the county ambulance contract and requested more detailed budget scenarios before final decisions.
Next steps: presenters will provide the commissioners with the slide packet, cost breakdowns and lease/contract details and return for further discussion and a possible vote in follow‑up sessions.
