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County weighs EMS training facility, EOC and new ambulances as operating costs rise
Summary
Karnes County’s EMS chief urged the court to prioritize ambulances and apparatus while advancing a multipurpose EMS training facility that could host a secondary EOC; commissioners debated timing, staffing and a roughly $5 million per‑facility capital estimate and $1M/year operating cost for each staffed ambulance.
County emergency services staff presented a multi‑piece proposal that would pair a new EMS training facility and administrative offices with potential satellite stations in Gillette and Runge. The EMS chief told the court the training facility is multipurpose—housing training spaces, backup radio consoles and a possible secondary 9‑1‑1 dispatch console—and would support long‑term expansion of ambulance capacity.
On operations the chief cautioned commissioners that ambulances carry substantial recurring costs: he estimated roughly $1,000,000 per year to operate an ambulance once staff, fuel, supplies and equipment are included. He recommended placing apparatus orders and keeping ambulance redundancy in the queue while phasing staffing decisions according to when buildings can realistically be opened.
“One ambulance is justified,” the EMS chief said when asked about immediate needs, and he added that “one more ambulance is justified in the name of doubling our transfer capacity” if volume supports it. Commissioners asked for specific staffing and payroll estimates; the chief agreed to provide a line‑by‑line cost for three paramedics and three EMTs per staffed station.
