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County EMS proposes shifting to 24/72 schedule to reduce overtime and improve retention
Summary
EMS leadership proposed transitioning part of the service from 24/48 to a 24/72 schedule, which would require hiring roughly a dozen additional medics to create a fourth shift and is expected to reduce overtime built into current schedules; staff said a phased rollout would take about 60 days after funding approval.
Council heard a presentation from EMS representatives about a proposed move from the current 24/48 staffing model toward a 24/72 schedule. EMS speaker Clay explained that the existing schedule generates high built overtime and has produced retention problems compared with neighboring counties that operate 24/72 or 12-hour models.
"After a 24 hour shift and you run 12 to 16 calls a day... you're gonna have to have a time to decompress," Clay said while explaining health and retention reasons for the shift-change proposal. Staff said the transition would require hiring roughly 12–14 additional medics to create an additional shift; net overtime costs could move from a heavy built-overtime line into regular payroll, potentially offsetting some of the new hires' cost. Clay estimated a realistic rollout would take about 60 days after funding is approved; council discussed phased funding (e.g., 0.5 of the change in year one) and asked staff about recruitment timelines and retention assumptions. No final vote was taken; council asked staff to include staffing scenarios and cost projections for follow-up budget markups.
