Local News - November 2002

Lincoln short on paramedics

By ALICE SMITH, LTN Staff Writer

November 4, 2002 - For at least several hours, several times a week, there are not enough paramedics in Lincoln County to answer calls for assistance.

It is a scary thought for those who need medical assistance — and for the paramedics who are sometimes forced to make patients wait in life-or-death situations.

Ron Rombs, Emergency Medical Service director, will ask the Board of Commissioners tonight to expand the Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) program.

Quick response vehicles take over when there are not enough ambulances to respond to calls, Rombs said.

The QRV will be staffed with a fully trained paramedic and equipment, with the exception of a stretcher.

As soon as an ambulance is free and gets to the scene, the QRV goes back in service.

In a memo to County Manager Stan Kiser, Rombs said expanding the QRV program is “the most economical and practical solution to this problem.”

This expansion would establish three new EMT-Paramedic positions, which would require an additional $43,000 in the personal services portion of the budget.

A Dodge Durango, which will be used for the QRV, has already been purchased and is not included in tonight’s request.

Commissioners will vote on this issue tonight.

Lincoln County is continuing to experience a rapid increase in EMS call volume, Rombs said.

Over the last five years, the call volume and incidents of critical patient encounters for EMS has tripled in Lincoln County, Rombs said. The last three years Lincoln County EMS has seen an increase in call volume of 60 percent.

The EMS staff has not grown with that need.

“Current personnel staffing positions are only three quarters of that of the full-time staffing positions of 1995,” Rombs said.

The county operates four 24-hour-a-day Advanced Life Support Ambulances, one “prime-time” ambulance which is staffed Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with part-time employees, and one QRV in the Pumpkin Center area.

Projected revenues from the addition of the QRV are expected to surpass the amount of money needed to fund the program, Rombs said.

“It’s not digging into the county’s budget,” he said.

Rombs is optimistic about the commissioners’ decision tonight.

“The Board of Commissioners has been very understanding with what’s going on with EMS,” Rombs said. “They have been super-supportive.”

Also on the agenda:

1 A public hearing for a request from Lake Norman Landfill, Inc. to change its hours of operation to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday. Current hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

2. A public hearing for a proposed change to the county ordinance dealing with mobile homes. The amendments would allow Class E or F mobile homes to be used as “accessory care providers,” to be used in the event of a disaster that destroys a house and to be used while a house is being constructed.

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Commissioners Room on the third floor of the Citizens Center.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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