SPENCER COUNTY, Ky. — The Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services says the staffing crisis that hit local EMS agencies in 2024 has continued into 2025, with acute needs for EMTs and paramedics.
Officials said rural counties with limited tax bases are feeling the greatest strain compared with larger jurisdictions like Louisville. WHAS 11 reported Spencer County EMS Director Robert Klinglesmith called staffing a chronic challenge, citing competition from higher-paying departments and a wave of post-COVID retirements.
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In a county without a hospital, EMS is essential and the shortage of EMTs and paramedics has pushed Spencer County to seek new fixes. Klinglesmith said one effort partners with the high school across the street from the agency’s base to build a local talent pipeline.
“We had always wanted to do kind of an EMT program with the school to help with the staffing issues that we may experience in the future with retirements and such,” Klinglesmith said.
Spencer County High School’s Health Sciences program now includes an EMT track, with four seniors enrolled to help address the county’s medic shortage. District Director of Transition Workforce and Innovation Leslie Slaughter said the initiative equips students with a vital skill set while strengthening emergency care for the entire community.
“To retain our folks, here in the county in a way that they can do meaningful work that they’re passionate about,” Slaughter said.
The students attend regular classes during the week, but every Friday, they report to Spencer County EMS for hands-on training, WHAS reported.
Klinglesmith said if the program proves successful, the agency hopes to hire the students after they complete training.
“We’ll offer those positions to them if we have any open to those students once they come out of the class,” Klinglesmith told WHAS. “If we don’t have anything full time available, we’ll always offer them part time. But we’ll also offer assistance finding them full time employment elsewhere if somebody needs them.”
