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County reviews ambulance coverage and staffing for Round Lake and Stone Lake areas
Summary
Committee discussed EMS call increases, plans to map call distribution for Round Lake, pending moves of new ambulances, and staffing challenges in Stone Lake; staff will return with GIS mapping and cost/staffing analysis.
Sawyer County public-safety officials briefed the committee on ambulance coverage and EMS staffing, with a focus on Round Lake and the Stone Lake area.
Mr. Feml reported rising EMS call activity in one comparison (2,007 versus 939) and said the county is transitioning billing and case-reporting systems to new software designed to interface with updated state systems. He also described a recent vehicle rollover incident that prompted internal debriefs and a countywide debrief planned for July 9 to evaluate response and coordination among dispatch, EMS and fire departments.
On coverage, staff are preparing GIS-based maps that visualize call distribution across the county and will compare current patterns with a 2017 study to determine whether Round Lake or other volunteer-base areas should be considered for future full‑time crews. Mr. Feml said the county will move a new ambulance to Xland (to be stored as unit five) once it is loaded and equipped; he emphasized the need to ensure staffing is in place before repositioning units.
Committee discussed Stone Lake coverage: the town is in an adjacent county and currently receives service from a neighboring provider for calls on that town’s side of the line; county members noted potential cross-jurisdictional coverage issues and the need to recruit local EMTs. No action was taken; staff will return with mapping and analysis.
