Wis. Agency Restructuring Staffing to Accommodate Paid EMTs
Nov. 12--EVANSVILLE -- Evansville is planning to switch the head of the EMS service to a part-time administrative position in its current hiring process, and the savings might be used for paid EMTs, City Administrator Ian Rigg said.
Like many small communities, the department has struggled to recruit enough paid on-call EMTs, and it recently turned to the fire department for help. The city began looking at its options after Mary Beaver, the former EMS coordinator, left the position last month.
Beaver worked full time, taking care of administrative duties and covering ambulance calls. The city's job posting states the new coordinator would work a flexible 20 hours each week, primarily to complete administrative functions.
One option that provides, Rigg said, is more opportunity for paid EMTs, who now work only on call.
"Every time I run the numbers, it seems to work out better financially," Rigg said.
The job is posted at $22 to $26 an hour and would save half of the salary of a full-time coordinator and more than $20,000 in benefits, he said.
He said a lot will come down to the new coordinator and the pool of EMT recruits the service has interested--depending on how many commit and are interested in staying in Evansville.
"A lot of that's going to play a role in some decisions," Rigg said.
A call for volunteers netted a lot of calls and interest, Rigg said, and several people will begin the EMT training course in January. One person is finishing his coursework and will join the service next month.
"I think things are starting to come together," Rigg said. "I think it's still going to take a little more time to get things where we want them."
The city-run ambulance service has always had two EMTs on call, ready to respond with the first ambulance. But when the department received calls for a second ambulance, response times lagged, usually during the workday, as the city struggled to get enough EMTs to respond. Response times for those second calls were as long as 25 minutes last year, but mutual aid from surrounding departments has helped bring the times down, Rigg said.
The service also sought firefighters interested in becoming certified first responders. A recent law change now allows first responders to be one of the two people on an ambulance. Previously, the law required both be EMTs.
"We seem to have a lot of interest out of members of the fire department," he said.
The city is hoping to hire an EMS coordinator at the city council's Tuesday, Dec. 8, meeting.
Copyright 2015 - The Janesville Gazette, Wis.
