Council weighs adding paramedics to first responder rolls
Published 3:42 pm Tuesday, December 31, 2024
The Meridian City Council is considering a move to decrease response times to medical calls throughout the city by adding paramedics to the first responder rolls.
In a work session Tuesday, Fire Chief Michael Evans said he has been exploring the idea for the past several months after first bringing the topic to the council. The city already has several licensed paramedics working in other departments, he said, and he has been working with the city’s Human Resources department to see what it would take to move them under his command.
The city will also need to sign a memorandum of understanding with Metro Ambulance to help oversee the medical aspect of the paramedics work if the plan moves forward, Evans said. Although they will be city employees, paramedics must be overseen by a physician, which will need to be done through Metro.
Kevin Smith, executive director of Metro Ambulance, said he has been working with Evans to explore the idea of paramedics and is willing to help out as he is able. Although it was a long time ago, the city previously had paramedics on staff, he said, so bringing them back is not completely new territory.
Councilman George Thomas said he also remembers when the city had paramedics and that the program was ended due to issues with liability and the city’s insurance. The city will need to make sure its insurance coverage is adequate before going down that road again, he said.
The idea of hiring paramedics comes after a sharp increase in medical call responses by Meridian Fire Department. Evans previously told the council the number of medical calls firefighters were going on was causing undo wear and tear on fire engines and other solutions needed to be found. Among the ideas kicked around were hiring paramedics and possibly purchasing other vehicles for firefighters to use when responding to medical calls.
Currently, Evans said he is exploring the idea of potentially reopening Fire Station 6, which is located on 20th Street, and placing a sprint car and paramedics there. Smith told council members a sprint car is usually an SUV, such as a Chevy Tahoe, that contains medical supplies and equipment paramedics can use to treat patients ahead of an ambulance’s arrival.
The station, which was closed in 2011, will need some work to be useable, Evans said, but it will put paramedics in a good spot to respond to calls on the city’s west side. The paramedics could potentially reach patients three or four minutes faster than current response times, he said, and every second counts.
“I just think it would improve healthcare in the city tremendously,” he said.
Evans said he is also looking into whether or not putting a fire engine at station 6 would help the city’s fire rating, which would help lower fire insurance costs for residents. If needed, an engine could be parked there to be used for calls, he said.
Smith said Metro could also look into staging an ambulance at the station to provide even more emergency medical response resources to the west side of town.
The council is not being asked to take action as of yet, Evans said, as there are still questions that need answered before the city can move forward. He said he will continue working on the project and come back to the council after the first of the year.
Supervisor Joe Norwood Jr., whose ward includes Fire Station 6, said he would be glad to see the station reopened and put to use serving the community.
“It would be good to see that station back up and that area covered,” he said.