Minutes - 19990426 - Laserfiche WebLink

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overtime. He focused on the outcomes. The net cost would be $95,000. This does relate to the EMS Strategic Plan. Commissioner Brown asked why John Link did not break out the three positions and present each one separately. Nick Waters explained that during the hours of 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. they need five paramedics instead of four because this is their peak time. Commissioner Carey asked if the long response time of 32-40 minutes was due to the lack of paramedics and Nick Waters said yes. Commissioner Carey clarified that the average overtime for a paramedic is 330 hours a year. He asked for the rate of increase in emergency calls over the past year. Nick Waters said the increase in emergency calls over the past year was 10°x. He said they have stopped responding to traffic accidents where they cannot confirm that someone was injured, and have stopped responding to calls from Chatham County. Nick Waters stressed that it is important that a paramedic be on each call to make a determination as to whether or not to transport the injured to the hospital. Commissioner Halkiotis clarified that on each shift there are four paramedics and one supervisor. In answer to a question from Commissioner Halkiotis about what fees have been collected, Rod Visser said last year a little over $500,000 was collected. Commissioner Halkiotis feels this needs to be viewed as a revenue source. Commissioner Jacobs asked if these were the positions requested last year. Nick Waters said two of these positions are ones that he requested last year. He said that not getting the positions last year led to a lot of overtime and denial of vacation. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the vehicles. Nick Waters said that if they can get two cars turned in by the Sheriff and get 40,000 to 50,000 more miles, this would save them money in the short-term. These will then be added for new vehicle replacement. Commissioner Jacobs feels the long-term cost of these vehicles needs to be factored into the equation. Commissioner Carey made reference to Commissioner Halkiotis' comments that the revenue is important, but only in terms of reducing the County's risk and increasing public satisfaction. He feels these are stressful positions and the County Commissioners should be sure that the number of personnel is close to the national standards if not exceeding them. Also, it helps with retention of good employees because it would lower the stress level. Chair Gordon asked for the incremental effect of each position which will be provided in writing. 2. Existing Two Time-Limited Telecom m u nicators - (page 27) John Link made reference to the material on pages 27 and 28. Commissioner Halkiotis asked what the lapse salary is for this year. Donna Dean will provide that information. Commissioner Carey asked about turnover rate. Nick Waters said that the turnover rate is constant. He hopes to see this decrease with the training program they now have in place. Some of the turnover is caused by the complexity of the training they must successfully take. Commissioner Carey asked if Nick Waters feels he will not have enough lapse salary to fund these positions in the future. Nick Waters explained the advantages of not having these positions classified as time- limited. Commissioner Halkiotis feels that with lapse salary there is a permanency.