HomeMy WebLinkAbout#28 - EMS Responder Program STAFF REPORT
DATE: November 17, 2020
REGULAR
TO: City Council
FROM: Dustin Kalis, Fire Chief
AGENDA ITEM: Implement EMS Responder program within the Fire Department
REVIEWED BY: Kristina Handt, City Administrator
BACKGROUND:
Facing a growing community and increasing demands on emergency services, Fire Department staff
continue to explore staffing strategies that allows the department to continue to provide a consistent
level of service to our citizens. Emergency Medical Service incidents accounted for 63% of department
responses in 2019 and 58% of responses through 10/31/2020.
Current response protocols dictate that the department respond on level 1 medical incidents as triaged
by Washington County Dispatch. County medical incidents range between Level 1 – level 3, with level 1
requiring immediate medical assistance. The current response structures are used by the department:
- Monday – Friday 06:00 – 18:00: Part-time staff respond from station #1. Once Part-Time staffing
levels are at the authorized level, coverage will be 7 days a week.
- Monday – Thursday 22:00 – 05:00: 2 -3 paid-on-call staff respond to either station #1 or station
#2 respond. Duty officer may also respond.
- All other times, 7 days a week: a department “all call” is toned and any available staff respond to
their respective station for the incident.
Fire Department staff is seeking approval to implement an EMS Responder program that would allow
the department to create a schedule where one staff would respond to medical incidents 18:00 – 06:00,
7 days a week using a department response vehicle. This model will allow the department to better
utilize resources while allowing staff additional opportunities to serve, build confidence in EMS skills and
gain valuable experience responding.
Public Safety Committee approved the proposal 4 – 0 on November 9, 2020.
ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL:
Should the City Council approve the plan to implement the EMS Responder program?
PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS:
The EMS Responder program will have one fire staff scheduled for evenings and overnights responding
in a department general response vehicle. At full implementation, coverage would be 4368 hours
annually. The EMS responder would be paid a stand-by rate of $5.00/hr. and paid their hourly fire pay
rate for EMS incident responses. Department “all-call” response would be used for all fire and rescue
incidents along with level 1 medical incidents as determined by dispatch or the EMS Responder. Staff
are currently reviewing several scheduling applications that would be used for scheduling this program
and all other department activities.
To implement this program staff anticipate a start date of March 1, 2021. This would allow the
department time to provide staff training and time for Washington County dispatch to update dispatch
and paging protocols.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funds for the EMS Responder program will be reallocated by discontinuing the year-end pay incentive
and reducing the fire stand-by from home coverage.
- EMS Responder Program Cost
o 4,368 hours of coverage X $5.00/hour = $21,840
o 150 EMS incidents X $15.50 = $2,325
o Total: $24,165
- Year End Percentage Incentive Pay (discontinue)
o $11,000 savings
- Firefighter Stand-by 22:00 – 05:00 (reduce weekend coverage due to PT staffing)
o Current Weekday: 1,456 hours of coverage X $2.34/hour X 5 firefighters = $17,035.20
o Current Weekend: 3,120 hours of coverage X $2.34/hour X 3 firefighters = $21,902.40
o Proposed evening stand-by coverage: 2,548 hours of coverage X $2.34/hour X 4
firefighters = $23,849.28
o Stand-by savings of $15,088.32
OPTIONS:
- Approve the plan to implement the EMS Responder program.
- Do not approve the plan to implement the EMS Responder program and direct staff to further
research staffing models.
RECOMMEDNATION:
Motion to approve the plan to implement the EMS Responder program.