New ambulance staff prepare for smooth transition Oct. 1

FAIRFIELD – The Jefferson County Ambulance Service is about to embark on the remodeling project at its home in the former First National Bank at 1900 W. Burlington Ave. in Fairfield.

Architect Mike Nolan of Iowa City has designed a plan to convert the southern part of the building into garage bays for the ambulance service’s three ambulances, and to remodel the northern half of the building into sleeping quarters, a kitchen, bathrooms and a laundry room. Schaus-Vorheis Companies of Fairfield has been hired to be the construction manager.

Jefferson County Supervisor Lee Dimmitt said the ambulance service had two rigs, and is acquiring a third for about $260,000. He said most of the ambulance service’s costs during this set-up phase are being covered by funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The supervisors have committed $245,000 from their budget so far, and the City of Fairfield has committed $75,000.

The county’s current ambulance provider is CARE Ambulance, based in Iowa City. CARE is in the third year of its three-year contract with the Jefferson County Ambulance Service Agency, a contract that will expire on Sept. 30. The Jefferson County Ambulance Service will then assume responsibility for the county’s emergency transport at exactly midnight that day.

Dimmitt said there will not be any transition phase where the two ambulance services are responding at once, so it’s imperative that everything is ready to go by Oct. 1. Brian Thomas, who was hired to be the new ambulance service’s director, said he plans to have all staffing positions filled by Sept. 18, to allow for a few weeks of training before the start date.

Judy Heisel, the recently hired ambulance base manager, said the staff will undergo map testing to ensure they know the quickest routes through the county’s roads. She said they plan to begin interviewing applicants in mid-July.

One of the issues that arose between CARE Ambulance and the ambulance board in December was CARE’s need for additional funds from the ambulance board due to unexpectedly high costs of hiring paramedics. CARE officials said they could not find local paramedics to work on their amublances, and had to rely on traveling paramedics, which cost about four times more.

Thomas said he does not plan to hire traveling paramedics.

“My budget says ‘no,’” he remarked. “Plus, our main goal is to get local talent. They’re more vested in the community.”

Thomas said the ambulance service is looking into a partnership with Indian Hills Community College where students studying to become EMTs and paramedics could do their clinical rotations with Jefferson County Ambulance Service, where they are riding along in the ambulance.

“This puts [the students] in the rig with other professionals, and gets them experience,” Thomas said.

Jefferson County residents pay for ambulance service through a separate tax levy. Dimmitt said that levy will continue for another two years, and then it will be absorbed into the county’s levy. Likewise, the ambulance board that oversees the ambulance’s operations will be disbanded in the near future, though it will be replaced by an ambulance advisory board consisting of about 14 stakeholders drawn from local health care and emergency management services.

Dimmitt, Thomas and Heisel said the public is welcome to visit the ambulance service building and get to know its staff during its business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents who wish to help out local emergency services financially can do so at the First Responders Appreciation Picnic at Maasdam Barns on Saturday, July 15, which runs from 4-7 p.m. Visitors will have the chance to meet first responders such as firefighters, police officers, dispatchers, and EMTs from Fairfield, Batavia, Lockridge, Libertyville, Packwood and more.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com