Idaho Fire Department Sues Former Paramedics for Tuition Costs

Oct. 12--The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department is seeking more than $8,000 in training costs from two former paramedics the department argues broke their three-year service contracts.

According to complaints filed by the department Thursday in Latah County 2nd District Court, Sarah Harris and Nathaniel Anderson completed department-paid paramedic training in June 2009 under a contract requiring they remain with Moscow three more years.

"We went through all the very polite channels to try to get them to refund their tuition," said Dave Reynolds, Moscow EMS division chief, adding it is regretful the department had to seek legal action.

The department filed a similar suit against paramedic Gretchen Rice in October 2011. Reynolds said it was paid back without a court decision.

Paramedic retention has been an issue with the program since the beginning, Reynolds said, as many seek paid positions following training. Anderson is now a paid paramedic in Lewiston and Harris works for a Spokane paramedic company.

"It's pretty tempting for people because once you get your paramedic license you're actively recruited," he said. "We knew that going into the whole arrangement when we started sending people into school."

The Moscow Ambulance Company currently has six paramedics with four volunteers in training. One of those is paying their own way with the expectation of seeking a paid position following completion, Reynolds said. The other three are long-term community members.

"We believe they will be staying for a while. Of course, we believed the others would be staying for a while, too," he said. "Six is probably our bare minimum. When it gets below that it gets pretty tough."

Training for both paramedics in the lawsuits cost more than $10,000, and the cost continues to rise, Reynolds said.

It takes about 18 months to complete paramedic training with about 1,500 hours of class time. This makes replacing lost paramedics difficult, as well, particularly when they break their contracts.

"Part of the problem is the time lag," Reynolds said.

He has advocated the creation of a countywide ambulance district, which would provide funding to pay the paramedics. The issue is contentious among outlying EMS districts and is a decision that will have to be made by Latah County commissioners. Commissioners considered the issue last year, but tabled it to gather more input and data.

Steve Cooke, Democratic commissioner candidate, has made the topic the focal point of his campaign, and taken heat from most of the six Latah County agencies concerned about establishing a taxing district and losing local control over patient care.

"What I heard ... sounded a little bit ruckus," said Debra McKinnon, former medical director for the Latah County EMS Council during its meeting Thursday. "He's an ally. I think he wants to support EMS."

She said she encouraged Cooke to seek out opinions from members of each agency after the issue of a countywide district was suggested to him by B.J. Swanson, board chairwoman for Gritman Medical Center.

"It's the lamb to the lion's den, the poor guy," she said.

McKinnon asked and was granted approval for a statement of support by the EMS council for the paramedic program, but stressed it did not include an opinion regarding the formation of a taxing district.

She proposed other funding mechanisms be tried to help with the cost of running the program and retaining paramedics. She suggested having Gritman hire some to work during peak ambulance call times, requesting increased payment from nursing homes for nonemergency ambulance calls and getting more funding and potential health insurance benefits from the county.

"I don't hate one idea that you just said," Potlatch Ambulance Chief Debi Swinney said.

McKinnon called on the council to get its stakeholders together to make sure the paramedic program survives, adding it was time the University of Idaho also did its share by contributing a small portion of tuition costs as it does for police services.

Brandon Macz can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 238, or by email to bmacz@dnews.com.

Copyright 2012 - Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho