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Clermont staff say municipal EMS transport is operationally feasible but costly; COPCN would be needed to proceed
Summary
Fire Chief David Eel and Assistant Chief Rick Castler told council that providing municipal ambulance transport is feasible in a phased model but would require significant staffing, capital and operating funds. Worst‑case full buildout (six ambulances) could cost about $8.4M annually with projected transport revenue around $2.4M; council asked for more detail and possible county partnership options.
Clermont’s fire leadership on June 9 presented a multi‑year analysis showing a municipal ambulance transport program is operationally feasible but would be expensive to implement. The council heard staff estimate both the costs and timeline to pursue a Certificate of Public Convenience & Necessity (COPCN) to permit local transport operations.
Fire Chief David Eel said EMS work now represents roughly 70% of the department’s call volume and that recent county ambulance additions have improved but not fully resolved longer response times. Staff modeled demand and concluded that a phased approach — adding staffed ambulances and dual‑certified firefighter/paramedics — could achieve council response objectives, but would require investment in personnel, vehicles and station capacity.
Assistant Chief Rick Castler presented financial assumptions and a conservative revenue model assuming two frontline ambulances (plus reserves) initially, with an average of about four transports per unit per day. Using an average billable transport value provided by county data, staff projected about $1.2M in annual transport revenue for two ambulances and recurring operating costs under $1M, while year‑one gross program costs including capital could be higher. In a worst‑case full buildout with six ambulances, staff estimated total operating costs of about $8.4M with projected billed revenue of $2.4M; if the city also assumed collection of the local MSTU (an estimated $2.9M currently used countywide) the net city cost in early years could fall to approximately $1.15M in year one and to a recurring net near $878,000 in later years under the staff model.
Chief Eel emphasized the COPCN is required before seeking state ALS licensure and that local deployment control would allow the city to ensure ambulances are available within Clermont rather than being redeployed elsewhere in the county. Staff warned that current fire station space is a limiting factor: most existing stations lack immediate room to house additional ambulances without renovation or new station capacity. The capital plan contemplates new or modified stations (including a planned Station 2 and a proposed station at station six or the newly purchased Old Highway 50 site) to provide space for ambulances.
Council asked for additional detail on how often county ambulances leave Clermont, the impact of special events and traffic on response times, and how a municipal system would interact with the county MSTU funding. Chief Eel and staff offered to provide deeper analyses before council’s June 23 meeting, including updated response‑time models, station capacity options and clarifications on MSTU revenue flows.
