EMS Management
The EMS management topic focuses on leadership within EMS agencies, bringing together a range of relevant columns and resources as well as the latest news on EMS department operations, budget issues and new appointments.
What the nation’s largest EMS system can teach us about the growing gap between ambulance reimbursement and the actual cost of being ready to respond
Confronting New York City’s EMS challenges
Medics split between 24-hour rotations with long breaks and shorter shifts, while many say pay, overtime and staffing matter more than any schedule
Merced County’s new 911 Nurse Navigation program aims to free up ambulances for critical emergencies by directing non-life-threatening callers to urgent care, telehealth or home care options instead
Wake County’s program eliminates out-of-pocket costs for emergency ambulance transport within the county for enrolled households, requires existing health insurance to join, and generates about $1.1 million annually for the county’s $92 million EMS budget
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed House Bill 2014, letting 14- and 15-year-old volunteers train until 10 p.m. on weekends and summer breaks instead of 9 p.m. and ride in emergency vehicles to calls, aiming to ease scheduling barriers amid a sharp decline in the state’s volunteer EMS and fire ranks
Virginia Beach’s “compassionate billing” program, which doesn’t charge residents co-pays or deductibles, funded seven new ambulances and 43 new EMS hires while distributing $4.2 million to volunteer rescue squads that had struggled to keep pace with rising equipment costs
Facing a $2.2 million budget shortfall driven by low Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, Baraboo and surrounding municipalities agreed to raise their combined contributions from 18% to 37% of the district’s budget
For many EMS providers, burnout is not a wellness challenge to be solved with another resilience training; it’s a warning sign that the work environment itself needs repair
EMS providers and one of the world’s largest workplace studies point to the same conclusion: leaders create the conditions for engagement through communication, support, accountability and follow-through
Inside the agencies where providers see a future
Staffing, predictability and recovery time are reshaping EMS workforce stability
The proposed levy would let Iowa County supervisors collect up to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value for 15 years, as one supervisor questions the need given flat call volume despite EMS expenses rising more than 30% since 2022
Fire union leaders fear removing police from nonviolent 911 calls could endanger first responders if situations turn dangerous, as finance officials warn the $16.8 million Department of Neighborhood Safety could exhaust opioid settlement funding by 2032
A new audit found the city lacks basic oversight of its behavioral crisis response program, which has cost more than $25 million since 2021, as a council vote to keep current vendor Canopy Roots instead of a new contractor faces a mayoral veto
San Luis Ambulance, the county’s exclusive provider since 1945, will compete against a Paso Robles-led public-private partnership proposal as county supervisors prepare a Request for Proposal update
North Royalton’s proposed five-year, 2-mill levy would generate about $2.27 million annually, letting the city hire three additional firefighter-paramedics to address rising EMS call volume and an aging population
Partnering with International Medic Solutions, REMSA Health is bringing trained medics from Australia into its northern Nevada workforce as about 60% of U.S. EMS agencies face staffing shortages
Huntsville Hospital officials want Decatur to align staffing, mileage and response-time rules with practices already used in other counties
East Baton Rouge EMS and St. George Fire Department’s new partnership will put 20 trained “Blood Medics” in the field starting Oct. 26
Santa Fe’s overhaul adds a career ladder requiring case managers to become certified EMTs, months after Fire Chief Scott Ouderkirk removed paramedics from the unit, though its budget, hours and staffing remain below 2022 peak levels
Wayne and Roberta Seely, in their 80s, are retiring after spending nearly two years and sending 800 letters trying to find enough volunteers to keep Dennys River Ambulance Service running
Ephrata Chief Jeremy Burns told the city council that EMS needs a sustainable funding source beyond the general fund, floating a voter-approved EMS levy or utility model used in nearby cities
Comptroller Mark Levine’s report recommends closing the roughly $51,000 pay gap between FDNY EMTs and firefighters, estimated to cost $300 million annually, as life-threatening emergency response times have slowed from 9:16 in 2015 to 11:55 today
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new law raises the annual personal income tax credit from $200 to $800 starting in 2027, as volunteer ranks statewide hit a 40-year low, falling from 120,000 in 2000 to 80,000 today
Your system for creating a thriving, magnetic organization
Blair Sadler helped shape EMS more than 50 years ago with no roadmap. His advice at Collaborate Live? Find a broom and start.
Glenolden, Norwood, Prospect Park, Ridley Park and Tinicum Township each pay $110,000 annually for the Narberth Ambulance’s paramedic intercept service
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