SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire District Board approved Chief Dave Lane to research to see if there would be interest for a paid firefighter/paramedic or firefighter/EMT position for the District and what the cost would be. The board agreed they would hold a special meeting to approve or refuse the position should Lane get interest. In other business, the board approved the match to a Town Pump grant to purchase a second LUCAS Device, Chest Compression System to perform manual CPR, for the second ambulance.
In his report, Lane said they responded to 64 calls in June, the most they have ever had in one month.
“Our call volume is going through the roof and we only have a few active EMTs,” Lane said. “We have new members coming on board that can attend EMT class in the future but even bringing them on board is going to take them several months to get them certified.”
Lane asked the board for permission to hire one firefighter/paramedic or firefighter/EMT. This would allow them to fight fire and provide medical service.
“With the call volume the way it is we need to make some adjustments. We need help. We need coverage,” Lane said. “That is part of being a Fire District. You have established an ambulance service here. We have to provide the care. The level of care is what is going to come up with the community and how we are going to pay for it.”
The base wage approved by the board at the March 2021 meeting was $28,820 for Firefighter/EMT and $39,728 for a firefighter/paramedic. Adding benefits, training and uniforms, Lane estimated the position would cost the District roughly $38,000-$48,000. While this would overspend the approved budget for wages and benefits, Lane said they have carryover that would cover it.
Lane said his intent would be to run the person Wednesday – Sunday from 10 a.m. -6 p.m. That is statistically the busiest time of the week and the hardest time to get volunteers. While he felt a paramedic with Advanced Life Support qualifications would be a greater benefit to the community, he recognized that the wage is not competitive and it may be hard to fill the position. He at least wants to hire an EMT so they can have someone during the day for coverage since they are so short on responders.
“I don’t want the volunteers taken out of the mix because we can’t survive without them. We don’t have any way to become a paid department,” Lane said. “My intent is not to replace the volunteers but to supplement the volunteers. I expect the on-call signups to remain the same and as we recruit more we will get more of those shifts filled. We have many open shifts currently.”
Lane said the committee that was established at the workshop to further discuss the combination department had not met yet.
“I understand the need for more people,” Vice Chair Gary Lewis said. “What I am concerned about is the volunteer and the hired. If you aren’t getting paid and the guy beside you is, you are the one busting your butt on your own time.”
Lane said they have $5,000 in the budget for recruitment and retention to help offer incentives for volunteers.
Volunteers in attendance spoke in support of hiring someone into the position. They felt that if someone is loyal to the Department, it doesn’t matter if they get paid, the PCOC checks for responding do add up and the opportunity to learn from a paid responder would be tremendous.
Trustee Jon Kimble asked if they could detail someone into the position temporarily to cover the immediate need. Lane said while this is available for wildland fire, that is not an option for EMS.
Rita Rossi made a motion to hire a firefighter/paramedic. It died without a second.
Lane asked for permission to do some research and advertise. If he gets interest then the board can have a special meeting to approve the position before anyone can be hired.
Lewis and Kimble voiced their concern that this is setting the board up. At the special meeting they would be forced to approve the position because there is someone waiting to be hired.
“That’s not research,” Kimble said.
“It doesn’t sound like you are going to get permission at this time to hire one and if you get too far involved in it, it will not be fair to who you are talking to,” Lewis said.
Trustee Rita Rossi said there are openings at hospitals that accept applications and then the position is no longer available for whatever reason. District Volunteer John Baker suggested accepting interest letters to see if there is interest.
Rossi amended her motion to allow Lane to do the research to see if there are people interested in the position. If there is interest, then the board needs to know the cost to the District. The board approved the motion and committed to holding a special meeting to approve or decline the position if needed.
The District received $10,000 for the Town Pump Grant. When he applied, Lane didn’t realize it was a 50/50 grant. The District would need to provide more than $9,000 to purchase a LUCAS Device, Chest Compression System for mechanical CPR or return the $10,000.
Lane explained the LUCAS device is recognized by the American Heart Association to improve CPR and the outcome for arrested patients. It also relieves hands so responders can take care of other things during the management of a cardiac arrest patient. Lane said they have a LUCAS device on the first ambulance and he wants one for the second ambulance. As the call volume increases he feels there will be a benefit to the department.
“The money is there,” Lane said. “We have almost $100,000 in the bank.”
Kimble asked where this ranks in the list of equipment needs. Lane said the LUCAS Device would be number one ahead of other smaller ticket items.
The board unanimously approved the purchase and Lane will accept the grant.
In correspondence, the board read a thank you letter addressed to volunteer Nathan Bailey for his assistance. They also were given a letter from Willie Bernstrauch asking the board to address why his 16-year-old son and father were not cared for following a June 28 accident around Salmon Lake and why the Chief made false claims to him following the accident.
In other business, Rossi, treasurer for the Seeley Lake Fire Foundation, reported the Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast served between 450-500 people and raised around $6,000 for the Seeley Lake Fire Foundation.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is scheduled for Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Fire Hall. The agenda and other information are posted at seeleyfire.org.
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