Ambulance service completes transition

Jerry Johnston poses in the dispatch bay at the Cole County EMS building on Southridge Drive.
Jerry Johnston poses in the dispatch bay at the Cole County EMS building on Southridge Drive.

The process of changing leadership at the Cole County Ambulance Service has come to an end, and the County Commission believes the transition will lead to better service for residents.

Commissioners discussed how the transition went during Friday's meeting.

In September 2015, commissioners were approached by ambulance service employees citing low morale and that the way the service was being run needed to change.

Last July, the commission reassigned Mike Shirts from ambulance service director to paramedic after EMS staff presented a vote of no confidence in Shirts.

At that time, the commission engaged Paramedics Plus LLC as a consultant to work on system enhancements to the operations of the ambulance service, including reorganization of personnel.

Paramedics Plus is based in Tyler, Texas, and offers staffing and leadership management for EMS services across the country.

John Smith of Paramedics Plus served as interim director, and now Jerry Johnston is taking over as the new director after being hired in November. Johnston's career in EMS has spanned more than four decades, most recently serving as director of operations for the Paramedics Plus Alameda County Operation, which includes Oakland, California, overseeing 400 employees.

After reviews and recommendations by Paramedics Plus, commissioners agreed to add five new employees for the ambulance service: a field supervisor during daytime hours, two dispatchers, a paramedic and an EMT. Along with giving $2 more per hour for two nighttime supervisors, the total cost including benefits is $281,263.

At the end of this month, the department plans to move to an internationally standard approach to handling emergencies, starting with how it answers 911 calls.

Dispatchers will be able to give callers step-by-step instructions on how to handle their emergencies before crews arrive. This includes CPR, helping choking victims and assisting delivering a baby.

Over the last few weeks, the department has been training its 14 dispatchers ahead of the new protocols and software.

The commission approved more than $95,000 Friday for a new computer dispatch system. The money will come from the ambulance service capital budget.

Cole County EMS now has 84 employees - 51 full time and 33 part time. It has a fleet of 12 ambulances, 10 of which are active. The most ambulances on duty is seven and the least is four; the average peak call time is 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Ambulances are based at five locations - the EMS base on Southridge Drive, the Regional West Fire Protection Station on Apache Trail, the Cole County Fire Protection Stations at Brazito and County Park, and the Cole County Jail.

In Jefferson City, the ambulance response time is less than eight minutes. Outside city limits, it is less than 15 minutes.

In his closing remarks to the commission, Rodney Dyche with Paramedics Plus praised the support they received at all levels of county government in working to make the service better. He said their relationship with the county health department was strong and has the potential to help reduce the cost of health care for county residents. He also said they recommended the commission consider forming an ambulance advisory board or emergency physician advisory board that could give commissioners guidance on various medical issues.

"The amazing thing is no one has left the service since we started this process," Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman said. "They deserve a good director, and we'll become a stronger team. We said it before and we mean it - we want the best ambulance system in the state. This has been a long drawn-out process, but we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel."