Looking for the right solution

KELLOGG — The Shoshone Board of County Commissioners met last week with the Shoshone County Emergency Medical Services Corporation (EMS Corp), as well as representatives with the local fire districts to discuss and review the current operation model of ambulance services provided in the Silver Valley and portions of Kootenai County.

In its current form, the bulk of local ambulance services are carried out through a series of service agreements between Shoshone County, the EMS Corp, Shoshone County Fire District No. 1, Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 and neighboring counties.

Funding for the local ambulance service is mixed and include billing of ambulatory services, patient transports and transfers; grants; and County supplemental funding.

Among the topics discussed during the meeting last Thursday, was to keep an open dialogue concerning potential changes to the structure.

One of the ideas discussed was eliminating the EMS Corp. and establishing an ambulance district as a taxing district.

According to Idaho code, to create a taxing district, the BOCC would need to see a signed petition with a certain number of signatures and then it would need to be discussed publicly before a decision could be made.

That specific ordinance says that the creation can only occur in an underserved area and the floor for the amount levied from the community begins at .02% which in Shoshone County right now would total in at $217,000 and then only increases in increments of two.

“Once you create an ambulance district, you can then levy up to .04% without any additional vote,” said Bill Holstein, EMS Corp director. “You can levy up to .06% but you’d need a majority vote to pass that.”

Right now the county currently levies $86,000 to support the current system, but believes that $130,000 is probably the amount they need to look at to maintain their current operations and levels of service.

The taxing district would also include the addition of a new board, who would have the sole responsibility of governing the district, something BOCC chairman Mike Fitzgerald believes would be a positive for all involved.

“A taxing district would come with a new board that would know every nook and cranny of the district and its financials,” Fitzgerald said. “Which would be nice because all of us are already spread so thin as it is. But it’s a matter of putting the right people in the right places.”

The EMS Corp was formed in 2012 to fill a vital gap in ambulance services due to the retirement of the area’s longtime provider.

In the event an ambulance provider is not present within a county, the burden of providing the service falls on the county and its BOCC.

Under the ambulances current structure and service agreement with the county, the EMS Corp maintains the mandatory certifications necessary to operate ambulance services and performs administrative and fiscal duties such as billings, collections, record keeping, ambulance personnel training, medical supply purchasing and vehicle maintenance. The EMS Corp has two full-time employees.

Through service agreements with the EMS Corp, the two local fire districts provide ambulance response and EMT care, patient transport, and, in certain cases, patient transfers.

The fire districts are independent of the EMS Corp and each department has their own chief, who are in-charge of their respective districts, staff and volunteers.

The News-Press will continue to follow any upcoming meetings as a resolution is sought.