The Grundy County Commission on September 6th voted to place a measure on the April ballot that would establish an ambulance district for the county. The commission also discussed Grundy County Ambulance pay with Ambulance Director Sarah Porter, some ambulance employees, and community members.
County Clerk Betty Spickard said the county will have to speak to an attorney to determine the proper wording for the ballot measure regarding how an ambulance district would be formed and funded.
A petition was submitted to the county clerk’s office in July to put a measure on the November ballot for a vote that could have formed an ambulance district for Grundy County. However, at a public forum in August, Spickard reported that after talking to legal counsel, it was determined a funding source should be in the ballot language. The petition submitted to her office did not specify the funding source of a property or sales tax. It was announced the measure would not appear on the November ballot.
Porter provided information on current fiscal year projections for the fourth quarter of 2022 and fiscal year projections with raises included for the fourth quarter.
Currently, emergency medical technicians have an $11.50 per hour base, and paramedics have a $14.50 per hour base. The raises would increase the bases to $13 per hour for EMTs and $20 per hour for paramedics.
The current fiscal year projection for the fourth quarter included $98,336.24 in regular-time expenses and $54,307.20 in overtime expenses. The projection for the fourth quarter with raises included $118,585.44 for regular-time expenses and $65,623.20 for overtime expenses. This is based on a schedule of 48 hours on and 96 hours off.
A projection for 2023 included another raise of $1 per hour. Projected employee wages for 2023 with that raise would total $496,980.80 for regular pay and $273,348.60 for overtime.
Porter said the raises would fit within the parameter of the existing budget, and she believes a pay raise would attract more employees.
She noted the average pay for EMTs in the area is $13 to $16 per hour, and the average pay for paramedics in the area is $16 to $20 per hour.
It was noted there are four paramedics currently, and there are openings for two more. Paramedics can perform more skills than EMTs.
It was also noted that Porter is basically using a nationwide search to find employees.
Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray reported he was in talks with North Central Missouri College about having training related to ambulance employees.
Porter reported that if Grundy County Ambulance was fully staffed, it would bring in more revenue because it would be able to do more, including transfers.
She provided information comparing transfers last year to transfers this year. It indicated that from January to July 2021, there were 638 transfers out of Wright Memorial Hospital, and Grundy County Ambulance transported 376 transfers. From January to July of this year, there were 653 transfers, and Grundy County Ambulance transported 341 transfers. The transfer rate was down six percent from last year.
Ambulance Employee Steve Tracy reported that Grundy County has more calls per capita than other area counties. He noted Grundy County Ambulance responds to an average of seven calls per day.
He said the ambulance service tries to run each truck with one paramedic, but in the past, it was not uncommon to have two paramedics on a truck.
Porter presented a letter from Bureau of Emergency Medical Services Chief Taz Meyer regarding concerns with the operation of Grundy County Ambulance.
It discussed an option of reducing from advanced life support ground ambulances to basic life support ground ambulances. Meyer noted that Grundy County is the authorized 911 provider for its ambulance service area, and the county is responsible for prompt response to all requests for emergency care originating from its service area. If Grundy County Ambulance solely became a BLS ambulance service, Meyer said it would need to contract or secure ALS coverage with another ambulance service. Dispatchers would also have to dispatch the correct ambulance based on the needs of the patient from the 911 call.
The letter also addressed the option of reducing the number of ambulances per shift to one. Meyer quoted Missouri regulation in that “Ambulance services shall provide the quantity of ambulance vehicles, medical supplies and personnel to meet the emergency call volume which can be reasonably anticipated for their ambulance service area.” If the ground ambulance service is not providing the number of ambulance vehicles and personnel required to meet emergency call volume, it could lead to potential discipline of the ambulance service’s license.
Ray said the commission felt it had adequate information on a potential pay raise for Grundy County Ambulance employees. He wanted the matter to be put on the agenda for next week, so the commission can vote.
