12-14-1977 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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June Demos, Mayor City of Roseville Subject: "Paramedic Services" for our North Suburban Area Regarding the presentation being made today, the Roseville City Council is quite concerned that an outside group is coming into the community, supposedly making a study and then planning a pilot program for our. community. We question the expertise of the group involved, whether or not they have the prosper background and thorough knowledge from which to make the judgments required for our community. Our council does not enter into any new program without a thorough study of not only the needs but the effect :any such program will have on our present employment force, costs and effect on current programs. As a matter of background, Roseville made 911 free ambulance runs in 1976, taking the people involved to the hospital of their choice in the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. These emergency runs do not have to be a matter of life and death. Some of the factors our city council believes should be considered are: 1) What does paramedics provide that Roseville's present service from police officers, trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (E.M.T.), does not provide? Our officers have 80 hours of training as E.M.T.'S but may not give life saving fluids nor do they have radio telemetry to a hospital. But can there be complications from hastily prescribed life - saving fluids when a patient's history is unknown? 2) Would the financial commitment of a full -scale paramedic program prohibit the extensive range of ambulance services now provided by our police department? This concerns us as we believe our present service is invaluable to a great many people. 3) What are the real costs? Maplewood's current cost is $272,000. Initial study in our community leads us to believe that the costs will be one - half million dollars within three years and if carried in the tax levy, an increase of approximately 237. for just one function of the police department. Ultimately, the city would be forced to pay salaries to these personnel which are commensurate with other salaries paid in government. Every action, when dealing with employees, causes a reaction. I am told that paramedics (in the metropolitan area) are now seeking a $6000 annual differential over a policeman's salary; 1) Response time. With a limited number of units (if paramedics is ultimately to serve the entire northern suburban area) what kind of response time can be provided? Looking at the number of vans we now have working in the city of Roseville, how could a lesser number serve this entire area?