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City purchases ambulance, projects ambulance-fund strain and aims to build in-house paramedic capacity
Summary
The city paid cash for a new ambulance this fiscal year and faces near-term ambulance-fund pressure from contract medic costs; Finance Director John Duncan said hiring and cross-training dual-certified paramedics is a multi-year strategy to reduce contracted-service costs.
The Finance Committee heard that the city has paid cash for a newly acquired ambulance and that the ambulance fund faces short-term pressure due to contract-medic costs, even as officials plan to hire and train dual-certified firefighters/paramedics to reduce reliance on outside contractors.
"We did recently pass a rate increase," Duncan said when reviewing ambulance revenues, but he warned that a rate change does not guarantee higher collections because payer rates and call volumes vary. He projected ambulance revenue conservatively at $950,000 for the coming year and said the ambulance purchase was recorded this fiscal year at about $318,000.
Jerry, who the transcript identifies as applying for fire grants and participating in the EMS discussion, said turnaround on in-service timing is a few months. "I'm looking at August," he said when asked about when the ambulance will be in service.
Duncan explained the city is moving to hire and fully train in-house EMTs/paramedics: "We have 6 of 12 employees hired, but those employees aren't fully trained in both disciplines...it's going to take [a] handful of years before we think we're fully at a point, where we have 12 full time dual certified...paramedics." He said until staffing and training are completed the city will continue to rely on contract medics and that costs may rise before they fall.
Committee members asked whether the recent GEMT/Medicaid-related rate adjustments change collections; staff described how GEMT-related payments operate and the state's role in reimbursement. Duncan said staff expect to reconcile the ambulance fund position when audited figures and timing adjustments are finalized.
No formal council action was taken; staff will update the committee as training and collection figures mature.
