Fire Districts Seek Levy for Ambulance Service

DAYTON—Columbia County is currently one of only four counties in the state without an emergency medical services levy. That could change if a proposed ambulance levy is approved by voters in August. The levy would add 50 cents per $1,000 assessed value to county property tax rates in 2019.

The proposed levy would affect all property taxpayers in Columbia County, including those in Fire Districts 1, 2 and 3. Fire District 2 residents in Walla Walla County would not be affected.

A supermajority of 60% yes votes is required to pass the levy. If passed, the levy will raise a projected amount of $458,794 for the three Fire Districts and the Town of Starbuck in 2019.

The proposed levy would be a permanent levy, and would not expire. However, the rate would likely drop over time as property values increase. The overall levy amount cannot be increased by more than one percent each year.

Fire District 3 Chief Jeromy Phinney said the purpose of the levy is to address the maintenance and stabilization of the emergency medical system, to establish funds for staffing and training, to meet growing demands for EMS coverage, and to help with the costs of replacing aging equipment.

He said that since 2003 the county has seen a 65% increase in emergency medical service calls, but there is an acute shortage of volunteer emergency medical technicians, especially during weekdays and nights.

Phinney said in 2005 there were 12 active volunteer EMTs and 11 volunteer drivers for 389 service calls. There are now four paid staff, one active volunteer EMT, and only four volunteer drivers, and the number of calls has risen to 581, he said.

“If a volunteer is out of town, we really, really struggle to get the shifts covered,” he said. “We’ve got to have an ambulance ready to go.”

Phinney said the percentage of volunteer fire service recruits in the state has decreased by approximately 39%, since 2011. Of the remaining recruits, about 53% will drop out during the first year.

“Getting them in the door is hard, and retaining them is hard,” he said.

Phinney said EMTs must undergo strict training and certification requirements. The initial certification process for an emergency medical responder requires 40 hours of class time, as well as clinical and ride along hours.

Basic requirements for an emergency medical technician are 120 hours of class time, with clinical and ride along hours, and a national testing procedure. The requirements for an advanced EMT are even stiffer, with an additional 320 hours of class time. All must meet recertification standards every two years, Phinney said.

Phinney went on to discuss survival rates for a patient in cardiac arrest. Survival depends on how long it takes to get the ambulance on route, he said.

It takes two minutes, eight seconds for two paid staff to accomplish, and eight minutes, 18 seconds for two volunteers, he added. “If we can get to you to start everything in one minute there is a 90% success rate. In 9 minutes it’s 10%. “

Phinney said a demographic shift is wreaking havoc with budgets for ambulance services. In 2010, people over 65 made up 23% of the county’s population. In 2016 the share increased to 28.3%, he said.

“Most of our runs seem to be Medicare/Medicaid runs, which doesn’t cover the cost,” said Phinney.

His figures show that in 2018, Medicaid is paying the same amount per mile of transport as it did in 2008, and Medicare is reimbursing only slightly higher for those services.

In 2017, the Districts collected only 43% of actual costs for Medicare patients, 15% for Medicaid patients, 8% for private/self-pay, and 86% for private insurance, he said.

“That means that we are currently writing off 61% of our billable services, due to the inability to collect from insurance providers and personal debtors,” he said.

Replacing costly aging equipment would also be provided for by the EMS Levy. Phinney said the cost for purchasing and outfitting one new ambulance is over $220,000.

He said the projected total revenue for Walla Walla/Columbia County Fire District 2 is $265,190 in 2018. After figuring in the costs for emergency medical services, the budget for fire, and for capital expense for equipment and building, show a projected shortfall of $89,600.

In 2018, FD3 will see projected total revenue of $786,100, for both the EMS and fire. The total projected amount of revenue needed for EMS alone, is $719,000, and the total projected amount needed for the fire budget is $374,200.

“Obviously your expenses can’t exceed your revenue, or you won’t survive long,” Phinney said.

FD2 and 3 provide FD1 with ambulance service, but FD1 will also benefit from levy dollars, mainly to update their medical equipment.

Phinney said the EMS Levy dollars will allow more of the fire levy dollars to be used on fire-related expenses instead of on ambulance services.

Phinney said one commissioner from each District will be appointed to oversee dedicated levy funds, and the county commissioners will need to approve any recommendations made for disbursement of those funds.

For more information on the upcoming EMS levy, contact Fire District 3 Chief Jeromy Phinney at 382-4281 or jphinney@ccfiredistrict3.org.