Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Weber County officials say new contract will shore up paramedic response; county reports 5:44 average ALS response time
Summary
County and local fire officials at the May 12 Weber County Commission recap said a contract signed that day will help retain paramedics and strengthen emergency response. Officials noted the county's paramedic program dates to 1986 and reported an average advanced-life-support response time of about 5 minutes, 44 seconds in populated areas.
At a May 12 Weber County Commission recap meeting, local fire and emergency medical services leaders said a contract signed that day will help keep paramedics in Weber County and bolster emergency medical response.
"The paramedic program established in Weber County in 1986 ... has set the standard for paramedic care across the state and across the country," Mike Slater of Ogden City Fire said, adding that the county's systems ensure paramedics respond to high-acuity calls and receive frequent, ongoing training.
Slater cited response-time metrics as part of that case: "The national standard for response times is ALS care ... within 8 minutes or less with 90 reliability. The average around Weber County in the populated areas is about 5 minutes and 44 seconds," he said, saying the county is not only meeting but surpassing the benchmark.
An agency official at the meeting said EMS calls represent the majority of emergency responses. "Oftentimes, you hear talk about the fire and EMS and, the reality of it is, EMS calls are more than 80% of what we respond to," the agency official said, and described the contract signed that day as one that "solidifies and shores up our ability to provide an outstanding paramedic response to the citizens around the county." The official said the agreement will help the county remain competitive in recruiting and retaining paramedics.
Meeting participants also noted that increased recruitment interest reflects favorably on the county's system. Slater said paramedics are seeking positions in Weber County "because of the type of system we run," and that keeping experienced paramedics local benefits residents across cities and townships.
Moderator closed the session by thanking the attendees and inviting the community to future events, including a Mountain Man Rendezvous at Fort Buenaventura over Memorial Weekend tied to America 250 activities. "That's our report for this week," the Moderator said.
The transcript does not provide the text of the contract, vote counts, budget details or the contract's effective dates; those items were described in general terms at the meeting but not specified.
