BRIGHT, Ind. — Like many EMS first responders in Dearborn County, Jacob King is frustrated with what he calls an "unacceptable" government failure to provide adequate funding for struggling EMS departments in the county.
"It's absurd," said King, a paramedic with Bright Fire Department and EMS. "When people call 911 they expect someone to show up and fix their problem for them. And, overwhelmingly this is not what's happening."
The Dearborn County Council provided $800,000 in funding this year for local EMS agencies — nearly double the previous funding, according to county records.
In August, the council voted 4-3 to approve a new local income tax (LIT) increase earmarked for EMS services.
The .2 % tax hike, which begins in January, is expected to provide about $3 million, according to county officials.
"I think that it's only fair for us to find a proper appropriate means to fund long-term EMS in Dearborn County," Council President Liz Morris told the I-Team. "We don't have that today. It's been a band-aid and it's been a struggle."
King said the county should use part of the money to pay for more equipment and training.
He also believes the LIT should be used to hire more medics, particularly in large rural areas where departments don't have them.
Medics — unlike EMTs who receive less training — can give patients IVs and prescription medicine, including fentanyl and cardiac drugs.
"It's an emergency (in a rural community) and you're 30-plus minutes from a hospital, which makes it even more important," King said.
Studies show many rural EMS services nationwide, especially volunteer departments, have struggled with a lack of funding, fewer employees, and slower response times.
The I-Team requested and reviewed Dearborn County 911 records that revealed the volunteer Dillsboro Ambulance Unit didn't have an emergency squad available for most of their calls since Jan. 1, 2021.
"You have to have folks who understand how complex these systems are and how all these things connect," National Association of State EMS Officials Deputy Executive Director Andy Gienapp said. "The first question that needs to be answered is: what are we willing to pay for and how much of it do we need?"
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Gienapp, a former director of Wyoming's state EMS department, said Dearborn County should hire outside experts to examine the county's EMS services and come up with a plan that uses the new funding efficiently and effectively.
"If you're going to bring experts in and say help us lead this or help us design a plan, then you should be paying attention and actually doing what those folks tell you to do," Gienapp said.
Dearborn County Commission President Jim Thatcher said he supports hiring an outside expert for that kind of work.
"We've got problems," said Thatcher. "But we're trying to fix them."
In text messages on Thursday, Thatcher told the I-Team that Dearborn County has formed an EMS LIT committee.
According to Thatcher, the committee will have six members; three first responders, two commissioners and one council member.
"The charge is to make it fair and equitable for all," Thatcher wrote in a text to the I-Team.
He said the Dearborn County EMS Alliance President is going to provide the committee with a list of members' suggestions and concerns.
The Alliance is comprised of all EMS units in the county, according to Thatcher.
Sunman EMS spokesman Shaun Whittington said it's important that all EMS units serving the county feel like their "mission critical" needs are taken seriously.
More recommendations for the LIT funds
In our effort to help find efficient and effective uses for the EMS LIT funds, the I-Team interviewed a dozen current and former EMS employees and directors with local, state, and national EMS experience.
Everyone we interviewed suggested hiring an outside EMS expert — perhaps a company with expertise in several areas of EMS operations — to review local EMS services and come up with a plan for the funding.
Gienapp said funding could be spent on community awareness, education, training residents, and placing defibrillators in higher traffic areas with public access.
"That would be a solid win for a community because we know those things save lives," Gienapp said.
Some EMS units — including Bright, Aurora and Dillsboro — had ambulances out-of-service for months because they were unable to get them repaired by outside vendors, according to chiefs of those units.
Aurora borrowed ambulances from Lawrenceburg and Ohio County EMS departments while the Aurora ambulance was out of service.
That temporarily left the other departments with fewer ambulances.
Tired of long delays waiting for repairs on their fire trucks and ambulances, Sharonville Fire Chief Dan Sunderman said he hired the department's first full-time in-house mechanic.
Sunderman, a volunteer firefighter in Dearborn County, said mechanic Ben Whittington has reduced out-of-service time for their emergency vehicles by 66%.
"We can have all the firefighters we need, but if we don't have a vehicle to put on the road that's impactful," Sunderman said.
Sunderman said many Dearborn County Fire and EMS units could reduce out-of-service time for their vehicles if some of the LIT money was used to hire a full-time mechanic for them.
"I think there would be a huge benefit to that if they were able to support that financially," Sunderman said.
Other experts, interviewed by the I-Team, suggested using data to perform a detailed analysis of billing, finances, customer service, and response times.
It's unclear how soon Dearborn County will begin a comprehensive review of EMS services and come up with a plan for how to spend the new money.
Commissioner Thatcher said the LIT committee is scheduled to meet again next week.
