Cole County EMS asks for more staffing to keep up with increasing calls

The Cole County ambulance service is asking for more staffing to keep up with a growing number of emergency and patient transfer calls.

Cole County EMS director Jerry Johnston presented two proposals to the county commission this week to solve that issue.

This comes after the commission denied a different request for more employees earlier this year. The director asked for two full-time emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to help handle out-of-town patient transfers.

But now, the department is having a harder time keeping up with increasing calls as the number of employees remains the same.

Compared to this time last year, Johnston said the department’s overall call volume is up 20 percent.

“It’s created an issue where, not often, but there are times where we have what we call status zero in the business,” Johnston said. “And that is times that we have no ambulances available.”

The first option Johnston presented to the commission would cost the county about $115,000.

The change would move a night-shift supervisor off an ambulance to help manage the workload more efficiently. The county would then need to hire two full-time paramedics to take the open spot on the ambulance for two different shifts.

“In short, what we’re doing is, we’re buying a full crew at the cost of a half a crew,” Johnston said.

The second proposed option would cost the county about $250,000.

EMS would hire a full crew for the two shifts for a total of four full-time employees.

Right now, Johnston said the department can call in off-duty staff in worst case scenarios. But that adds to the response time in an emergency situation as well as the overtime budget.

“Being in the public safety business, we want to be able to assure that the residents have our service when they need it,” Johnston said.

ABC 17 News called Presiding Cole County Commissioner Sam Bushman Wednesday.

Bushman said he agreed with the first proposed option and said that something needs to be done.

But he said the other two commissioners are more hesitant to hire full-time employees mid-year in the budget, especially since they added five full-time communication positions within the last year.

Bushman said the commission will likely take up the issue within the next week or two.

The number of patient transfer calls is also up about 60 percent compared to this time last year, according to Johnston.

Johnston said he would like to add the requested number of staff members as soon as possible, and then add two EMTs at the beginning of next year to help with the transfers.