What’s next for the countywide EMS affiliation? Addressing lack of volunteers

Volunteer fire and emergency medical service agencies in Jasper County are shrinking, and it may take some brainstorming with the countywide EMS affiliation to find sensible and economical solutions. Baxter Mayor Doug Bishop recently met with county supervisors to start these discussions.

For the past 40 years or so, the City of Baxter has utilized volunteers in the West Malaka Benefitted Fire District to respond to fire and EMS calls. However, the city had to form an agreement with the sheriff’s office earlier this year to receive advanced life support (ALS) services for the foreseeable future.

“A lot of the smaller towns in the rural areas find themselves with a distinct lack of volunteers to operate our ambulance service,” Bishop said. “Right now we’re basically down to one full-time paramedic that is manning 90 percent of the calls. She is in her 60s. She’s done it for close to 40 years. She’s hanging on.”

Baxter also has one dedicated driver that Bishop said handles 99 percent of the calls. He worried if something happens to that person, the community of less than 1,000 people will be in trouble. Bishop spoke with leaders at the sheriff’s office and Jasper County Emergency Management to find solutions.

“I’m not speaking here for any other community,” Bishop said. “I could only bring up what we’ve dealt with, but I thought we could at least start the initial conversation today. I don’t know if we want to get together and have the other mayors and fire chiefs and EMS coordinators to get together or what.”

Bishop spoke highly of the ALS program, saying he is a huge proponent of the supplemental service provided by the sheriff’s office. But he recommended a plan be put together for what towns or districts will do moving forward. Supervisor Brandon Talsma said this kind of conversation has been needed for some time.

The countywide EMS affiliation was a good first step. Jamey Robinson, director of Jasper County EMA, said the EMS affiliation now has its own medical director working for all of the departments in the county. The affiliation was finalized back in May but it has implemented some protocols.

Robinson said a common issue Baxter was having was making sure there was staff to respond to a call at late or early hours. The ALS deputies have helped alleviate some of that burden, especially if Baxter’s ambulance driver is not available that day. If Baxter can’t get an ambulance, the sheriff’s office can.

“If Lt. Gunsaulus is there or Chief Deputy Rozendaal is there, they’ll jump in and get it going with the ALS car,” Robinson said. “There has been some talk of maybe expanding that out a little bit more, but we’ve really focused on the base of the affiliation, and that’s the medical director, protocols, supply stuff.”

It may be a slow work-in-progress, but Robinson said he wants to do it the right way and not just throw money at something that won’t work out.

Talsma noted that maybe the next step in the conversation is to focus on the lack of volunteers and addressing that concern.

“I don’t think any of us want a full-fledged, county-run ambulance service,” Talsma said. “I don’t think that’s what any of us want to go to. It would be a logistical nightmare … (and) it’s going to cost us millions. I think it’s in everybody’s best interest to keep the volunteer departments going.”