Shoshone BOCC approves EMS wage and radio funds

WALLACE –– Last week, the Shoshone County Commissioners met with Shoshone County Fire District #1 Chief John Miller and members of the Shoshone County Ambulance Service District (SCASD) to discuss a wage shortfall within the district.  

According to their contracts with the county, each FD must maintain a certain level of personnel, including firefighters, paramedics, advanced EMTs, and all other emergency medical personnel types. Because of this requirement, when things like paid sick leave, vacation, and paternity/maternity leave come up, the district must maintain staffing while still paying those using their leave time.  

According to Chief Miller, these issues walk hand-in-hand with one another, but when the increased number of calls that the department has experienced is added in, you have a recipe for extenuating circumstances.  

Because of this, SCFD#1 requested just over $70,000 to cover their wage shortfall and Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman explained to his fellow board members that the district was unable to absorb the $70,000 hit. 

After hearing from Miller and Zimmerman, the board decided to approve Miller's request. According to Zimmerman and interim Clerk Peggy White, the funds will come from the county’s capital expense budget without the board needing to reopen the 2023/24 budget.  

Miller was thankful for the board’s decision and explained the current state of his staff, who have been exceptionally busy during the recent weeks and months.  

“We’ve had quite a bit of high-priority calls recently,” Miller said. “Our crews have remained pretty active. Summertime is not easy for any public entity or public service due to the influx of population, but our crews are working their tails off.”  

The board also approved just over $9,000 from the SCASD budget to purchase three encrypted radios for the medical transport teams to use.  

These encrypted radios operate on frequencies that can't be picked up by everyday scanners.

Aaron Cagle, the former SCFD#1 chief and member of the SCASD board told the commissioners about a recent incident where an unencrypted radio led to the leak of private information about a patient being transported to Kootenai County.  

Miller followed Cagle explaining the importance of quality communications equipment when transporting patients over Fourth of July Pass. 

“There’s been times when the radios either failed or we’ve had to call ahead on cell phones,” Miller said. “Half the time those calls don’t go through, but if we just show up at their door without letting them know ahead of time there’s a lot of frustration.”  

Beyond just the frustration, Cagle explained giving medical facilities like Kootenai Health or any of the hospitals in the Spokane area advance time to prepare for an incoming emergency can be the difference between life and death.