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staff under each volunteer fire department in the budget this year. He asked that the budget presentation include, under each volunteer fire department, the number of paid staff that is with them and what it would look like if the volunteer fire departments had to go strictly paid staff. John Link said that two or three increases in the fire districts are directly attributable to adding more permanent staff. Commissioner Carey verified that there would need to be 24 paid full-time permanent staff to have a 24/7-service level. He asked about the recommendation for June 30t" and Rod Visser said it is to add up to eight permanent full-time employees. Commissioner Jacobs asked if these positions were incorporated into the classification and pay study and Elaine Holmes said no. Rod Uisser said that the money would be what the County would have paid to the rescue squad and additional money would include approximately $30,000-50,000. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the private, non-emergency transportation. Rod Uisser that our non-emergency transportation services are provided within the County only by those entities that are franchised. The strategic plan was focused on the patient outcome as the main measure. Jahn Link said that the performance level of the present providers has been checkered. He would prefer the County's staff to address this personnel need. Rod Visser answered some clarifying questions of the County Commissioners about the proposal. Commissioner Gordon asked how volunteers would work into this. John Link said that the volunteers do not work into this in terms of guaranteeing 2417 transportation responses. The volunteers can help the community with special events and specialized rescue. Commissioner Halkiotis said that it is really important to put this all in a chart for the County Commissioners to see the whole revenue picture. He asked about the revenues generated by this service and how other counties are doing this. He agrees that we should have paid professional staff providing the service. He said that the building on New Hope Church Road would have to be expanded because there is not enough roam for training. Commissioner Carey asked about the implications of capital facilities from this conversion. Rod Visser said that in the short term it would not be much money. The two existing squad buildings would be used -the one on Churton Street and the one by the old Carrboro Farmer's Market. If this does not work out, then the ambulances could be staged at other County facilities. In the long term, there are implications for the EMS and public safety functions. Chair Brown asked about ambulance services and if it was theoretically possible for the County to have its own ambulances. Nick Waters said yes and that it used to be that way. Chair Brown would like a comprehensive look at EMS and the pros and cons of what is happening now. Chair Brown asked about the different levels of services the County has and all of the components and how and when we maintain it. She would like this brought back to the Board. She said that the municipalities do not think about this service that the County provides and she would like to speak to that issue with the municipalities -what is involved and why the County is making this transition. This is the cost of growth that no one wants to deal with. She would like aone-page statement to address this with the municipalities. The Board agreed to the staff bringing back a comprehensive report on EMS service in the County.