Three EMS staffing options presented: board hears cost and coverage tradeoffs

An EMS presenter told the board the county faces coverage gaps and presented three pathways to address rising call volumes and excessive response times. The presenter framed the options around coverage hours and payroll rules. "Option number 1...This option is going to cost a little over 2,300,000 going forward," the EMS presenter said for the status-quo contracted model. Option 2 would transition to county-employed EMS-only personnel (about $2.7M projected) and Option 3 would hire county fire-EMS personnel (about $2.87M) and yield the largest coverage increase.

Staff described how each model changes coverage math: the existing contracted model provides 336 hours per week; option 2 would raise staffing to 384 hours per week (requires 18 personnel and raises overtime exposure under the 40-hour-rule for EMS-only employees); option 3 would provide roughly 504 hours per week using fire-EMS schedules that allow longer regular-hour thresholds before overtime. The presenter noted a phased implementation would be used and that the county could achieve better savings versus contracting if staffed as a county operation.

Board members asked about station placement, volunteer fire department concerns and the need to upgrade some firehouses to support overnight staffing. The presenter said three stations would be easier to convert for overnight occupancy and that the plan is designed not to supplant volunteer services but to supplement them. Staff committed to providing district-level coverage modeling and a phased plan as part of follow-up materials.