Idaho Fire Department Struggling to Maintain EMS Crews

May 22--A Moscow firefighter has raised the question again as to how the city can retain paramedics and remain a voluntary unit, but the answer isn't easy.

Troy Zakariasen addressed the City Council on Monday as a concerned resident, stating a shortage of emergency medical personnel, particularly paramedics, is putting additional burden on current volunteers.

The shortage has placed volunteers on four rotating shifts from five, meaning they have had to do more with less, he said.

Paramedics receive training through the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department, and the cost is typically assumed as long as volunteers sign a three-year contract to remain working for the department. After that, the trained volunteers typically seek paying positions elsewhere, Zakariasen said.

City Supervisor Gary Riedner said the issue was discussed Tuesday in a city department head meeting, and there is talk of reforming an emergency medical services task force to address it. The task force was formed several years ago where a designated EMS training officer was put into place to address the needs of volunteers.

"That's worked very well, but now you're hearing the need is above training now," he said. "The need is for incentives so that we get paramedics to serve and stay. Whether that means creating another task force, I don't know."

The department is orienting a number of new trainees currently, but staffing shortages are not uncommon this time of year when University of Idaho student volunteers leave for the summer, said Dave Reynolds, EMS division chief.

"We compress the shifts over time so we have more people per shift," he said. "The burden there is on the volunteers because it increases the number of shifts they're out on for the first part of the month."

Zakariasen told councilors the volunteer model makes sense, but reimbursement for people's time could alleviate some of the stress since they are also giving up time at paying jobs and with their families.

"The siren song of being paid in other locales for this is going to be a challenge," said Fire Chief Ed Button of paramedic staff. "We have burned out some of our previous volunteers, and it's not easy doing this in a city of this size and a city this sophisticated."

Reynolds said most cities the size of Moscow either have paid department members or a combination of volunteers and paid staff.

"That conversation has been out there for a number of years," he said. "Having volunteer paramedics is kind of an unusual thing anyway."

Volunteers are concerned with staffing and how that could affect service if too many calls come in at once, Button said. Zakariasen used the city's pledge of up to $1.5 million for development of the Joseph Street ballfields to illustrate that concern.

"Ironically, if little Timmy is out there and gets hit by a foul ball, we might not have the resources to go out there and save his life," he said.

Riedner said there was talk in Latah County about the possibility of forming a countywide EMS district last year, but it hasn't been revisited.

"That was the last time it was brought up as an issue, and then it kind of backed off," he said. "My anticipation is that we're going to have to look at it again."

Button said he'd like county commissioners to consider asking residents to decide whether creating a countywide EMS program is favored through a referendum.

"It's at the commissioners' desk, and I think we still support it," he said. "... That's the question I'm asking is what does the community want? Do they want a paramedic-level service?"

Brandon Macz can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to [email protected].

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