1/30/20 — The countywide EMS system has been a topic that has come up and I would like to share my perspective and some background on why Adams Township moved to a private EMS service.
First off, I am not against the countywide EMS system.
The way the county EMS system is set-up, the county provides the squads, but each township or village must provide the people. Adams Township had, and continues to have, enough fire volunteers, which we are grateful for, but there were not enough volunteers to cover the EMS. At the time we moved to a private company, we had the highest volume of EMS runs in the county. The EMS Squad in Green Springs was out of service over half of the time, which led a group of Adams, Pleasant and Green Springs representatives to explore options. Meetings were held and we weighed the pros and cons, but in the end, residents wanted full-time coverage. We found a solution, and we asked our constituents to approve a levy to cover the private service. They levy was approved by Green Springs and Adams Township and we moved forward. After seeing the level of service, Pleasant Township later approved a levy. The contract does expire in June of 2021, so we are proactively looking at different options to ensure our residents continue to have 24-hour coverage.
“If a countywide EMS option can provide the level of coverage needed, then I am all for it.”
Ken Majors, county EMS Coordinator reported to the Commissioners on January 23, 2020 that he expects the volunteer districts to move toward a paid structure in the near future. As quoted in the Advertiser-Tribune, “You’re going to see some big movement on that this year,” he said. “It’s difficult to find volunteers to do this at the level we need to do it. It’s time to move forward to a paid system,” Majors said.
Read the full article from on the Advertiser-Tribune, “Commissioners Hear 2019 EMS Report“.
If you would like to discuss this topic or have other questions for me, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
CONTACT
Bill Frankart
Phone: 419-355-6408
Email: bill@electbillfrankart.com