By Chad Drury
Ottumwa Courier
OTTUMWA, Iowa — The Wapello County Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, created by resolution of the board of supervisors, has completed its work on what an EMS system will look like for the next year, before any levy request reaches a ballot.
The council identified two core areas as part of its recommendation — two ALS crews working around the clock, and a six-spoke hub that is held together by EMS academy training.
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An ALS crew consists of at least one paramedic on a two-person ambulance crew; their hours would be verified monthly. Also, the council recommended an Ottumwa Fire Department ambulance serve as a backup ambulance to ORMICS, which the council believed should continue as the main operator of the ambulance service.
The recommendation also includes a focus on staffing where the need is greatest, pursuing an out-of-county transfer crew to alleviate the pressure on 911 crews, and in the long term, creating an emergency medical dispatch service.
Regarding the six-spoke system, the recommendation would formalize the roles of volunteer EMS, fire and law enforcement, piloting a United First Aid volunteer response team, which uses smartphone technology and trained volunteers to provide care, particularly in hard-to-reach rural parts of the county. United First Aid is a fairly new concept; Van Buren County initiated its program in 2023.
The spoke recommendation also allows the county to coordinate and provide data; a community paramedicine program would be pursued, and there would be ongoing public education.
The recommendations did not include what the county should consider regarding a levy rate to fund EMS, but EMSAC will be holding a joint meeting with the board of supervisors and the Ottumwa City Council Oct. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Bridge View Center to discuss the findings of their research.
EMS is not an essential service in Iowa Code, unlike police and fire services. The county would have to put a ballot measure to voters that could include a levy, 1% surtax, or both, and it would have to pass with 60% of the vote. The current maximum that could be levied is 75 cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation, but that number is expected to double in fiscal year 2028.
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