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Board approves 8 full-time EMT positions and FY25 budget amendment to staff second Prince Frederick ambulance
Summary
The board voted to add eight career EMT positions to staff a second 24/7 ambulance in Prince Frederick; staff said ambulance cost-recovery revenue will offset an annual personnel cost of $769,370 and the FY25 salary line will be increased by $930,510 to begin hiring this fiscal year.
Calvert County commissioners on April 8 approved a staff request to add eight full-time emergency medical technician positions to provide continuous staffing for a second ambulance at the Prince Frederick Volunteer Rescue Squad.
"Career EMS is requesting to increase staffing of emergency medical technicians by 8 positions," Deputy Director Crystal Dowd said, explaining the staffing formula (two providers per 24-hour shift across four rotations) and the operational need driven by call volume. The department presented a fiscal-impact estimate of $769,370 in annual personnel costs and requested a budget amendment to add $930,510 in FY25 salary authority to expedite hiring and reduce existing overtime and temporary staffing.
Commissioners asked whether the 'soft billing' ambulance cost-recovery program will sustain the positions; Dowd said the revenue collected by career ambulance responses offsets the positions' costs and that adopting the change will reduce current overtime and temporary staffing pressures. Chief Miller and other public-safety leaders also described equipment and ambulance cost estimates when adding fully staffed units.
The motion to close the record and adopt the resolution and budget amendment (BA 2025-000352) carried on a voice vote.
