Raises considered for post-midnight EMTs
A $10 hourly raise may be in store for local EMTs who are willing to respond to ambulance calls between midnight and 6 a.m. — a proposal meant to address a shortage of emergency responders during those hours.
District chief Joe Mueller brought up the issue during his chief’s report at the monthly district meeting on July 15.
Mueller said not many EMTs sign up for the post-midnight shift at the stations in Abbotsford and Colby, so the district has to rely on the same four people to pick up all those calls.
Throughout the rest of the week, there doesn’t seem to be a problem filling shifts, he said. That includes week days, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., when a day crew is paid to be on duty at the fire station in Abbotsford.
The district currently offers EMTs oncall pay of $1 per hour for those who sign up for weekend shifts, but that is only available for those who opt out of the district’s length-of-service plan.
As an extra incentive, Mueller said he thought about increasing the on-call pay to $2 per hour and offering it for all shifts, but he doubts that would make much of a difference, since it only adds up to $24 for a 12-hour shift.
Also, if the district were to do that at all three stations, he said it would cost an extra $80,000 per year, he said.
“That’s if every shift was filled,” he added.
Instead, he said it might be more enticing to increase the hourly pay rate for EMTs when they go on an ambulance run, which is currently $20 per hour. He said he’d be willing to pay as much as $30 per hour for those who respond between midnight and 6 a.m.
The average ambulance call lasts about two hours, so that would cost the district an extra $40 for two EMTs, he said. Ideally, each ambulance crew will include three people — including a driver and two EMTs in the back with the patient — but Mueller said they’re OK with a twoperson team responding.
Board chairman Larry Oehmichen estimated it would cost the district about $6,000 more year based the number of calls that come in between 12 and 6 a.m.
“That’s a lot cheaper than $80,000,” he said.
Mueller noted that the ambulance service will be getting a boost in Medicare money, with the federal insurance plan increasing its reimbursement rate to cover 80 percent of every ambulance run. He said the ambulance service could also look at increasing its charge for calls.
EMT Carol Staab, however, wondered if the extra pay would be enough to get more people to respond to calls in the middle of the night.
“In my heart of hearts, I don’t know if that extra (amount) will get people out of bed or not,” she said.
Still, board members thought it would be worth considering, even if it means paying the same four EMTs more for being willing to respond after midnight.
“They deserve it,” said board member Dennis Engel.
Mueller said they could always do it on an experimental basis to see if it works.
Because the topic was not on the agenda, board members agreed to address it at their next meeting on Aug. 19.
Other business
_ Mueller presented the board with three price quotes, all from Colby Chrysler, for a new vehicle to replace the command vehicle he uses. With municipal discounts factored in, they ranged in price from $35,633 for a 2021 Dodge Durango Pursuit Vehicle to $29,205 for a 2021 1500 SSV Crew Cab 4x4.
Mueller currently drives a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer, which was purchased for $16,000 in 2017 when Bert Nitzke was serving as district chief. Mueller said the SUV has 95,000 miles on it, and occasionally has trouble starting.
Board members said they wanted to see price quotes from other local dealerships, including Abbotsford Ford and Wheelers Chevrolet, before making a decision.
“We can’t just go to one dealer,” Engel said.
_ The board met in closed session to discuss a new district fire chief contract that would take effect after the current one expires on June 30, 2022. At the previous month’s meeting, the board approved a one-year contract that took effect on July 1, with Mueller’s pay being increased from $1,000 to $1,300 per month.
_ The board approved $13,380 in monthly expenditures.
