By James Bennett III
Pharos-Tribune
CASS COUNTY, Ind. — Over the past 13 months, seven paramedics and three EMT officers have resigned from Cass County Emergency Medical Services.
Hoping to retain the employees who remain, and attract new employees, EMS Director Brady Wiles asked the County Council to amend its salary ordinance so he could increase pay rates.
The request for higher pay comes during a national shortage of paramedics and EMTs, Wiles explained. He added that shortage has “really been exposed here in the last year.”
The raises would amount to $290,000 paid out over the next two years and coming from an account that’s reimbursed via EMS billing. It will not affect county tax dollars, Wiles said.
In exchange, Wiles told the council he would not ask for another raise for two years.
Breaking the raises down, Wiles explained EMT will receive a $3.45 per hour bump under the plan; paramedics will receive $5.45 per hour; and supervisors will receive $5.45 per hour. The department’s three salaried employees will also receive raises, including the assistant director who will make $5,000 more than supervisors and the director who will make $5,000 more than the assistant director.
Those figures were worked out by the county’s EMS board. County Commissioner Mike Deitrich, who leads that board, urged the council to approve the pay raises and said it would sustain future growth.
“I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this,” Wiles told the County Council on Friday, adding he wasn’t excited to ask the council to give raises to his department outside of the Council’s budget session.
However, he pointed out, there are 16 shifts open in June. To fill those shifts, part-time staff members are offered the shifts. If the part-time staff members aren’t able to fill the positions, regular staff are offered overtime.
For now, Wiles said, the department hasn’t had to go many days down a truck. But after losing a paramedic last month and with a lack of part-time staff (the entirety of Cass County’s full-time EMS staff came from the pool of part-timers), the EMS director said he was nervous to see the 16 open shifts.
Additionally, Wiles said he had heard rumors that four more employees were considering quitting if they weren’t able to get raises. That would change the amount of open shifts in June to 56. Conversely, several people had expressed interest in joining the department if there was a bump in salary.
The raise would put Cass County EMS pay above Carroll County’s and just below Clinton County’s.
Considering the request, County Councilmember Dean Davenport pointed out staff could find it difficult to hear they wouldn’t get another raise for two years.
Dave Ashley, a paramedic supervisor who attended the meeting, said it was a sacrifice they were willing to make.
The decision passed, with Council President Dave Redweik being the only “no” vote. He explained he would have preferred to match Carroll County’s EMS pay rates and keep the option of raises open for the next few years.
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