HomeMy WebLinkAboutAd Hoc EMS Advisory Committee - Minutes - 1/24/2022
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Bayfield County Clerk
Lynn M. Divine, County Clerk
Kim Mattson, Accountant Jeran Delaine, Deputy Clerk
Gail M. Reha, Bookkeeper Paige Terry, Clerk III
Ph: 715.373.6100 ● Fx: 715.373.6153 ● Email: Lynn.Divine@bayfieldcounty.wi.gov ● 117 E. Fifth Street, PO Box 878, Washburn, WI 54891
Minutes of the:
Bayfield County Ad Hoc EMS Advisory Committee
January 24, 2022 6:00 p.m.
Meeting Held in the County Board Room, Courthouse Building, Washburn, WI
& Remotely
The meeting of the Bayfield County Ad Hoc EMS Advisory Committee was called to order at 6:01 p.m. by
Committee Vice-Chair, Jan Victorson.
Members Present: Brett Friermood (arrived late), Lyn Cornelius, Rob Puls, Jan Victorson, Sandy
Raspotnik, Dan Vaillancourt, Eric Neff, David Larson, Colleen Beagan, Scott Kluver, Michael Lang,
David Trudeau
Alternates Present: Beverly Steele, Clyde Clauson, and Tam Hofman
Members Excused: Steve Sandstrom, Larry Fickbohm, Carrie Okey, and Gary Victorson
Other members present: County Administrator-Mark Abeles-Allison, County Clerk-Lynn Divine
virtually, Emergency Management Director-Meagan Quaderer virtually, UW Extension Community
Development Educator-Kellie Pederson virtually, and Clerk III-Paige Terry virtually
Item 3. Introductions by Name and Municipality/Agency: Introductions of the members were as
follows:
1) Mark Abeles-Allison – Bayfield County Administrator
2) Jeff Bellile – Washburn Ambulance Service Director
3) Scott Kluver – City of Washburn Administrator
4) Bev Steele – Representative for Town of Clover
5) Sandy Raspotnik – Representative for Town of Washburn
6) Adam Olson – Representative for Iron River Ambulance
7) Lyn Cornelius – Bayfield Ambulance Service Director
8) Michael Lang – Red Cliff EMS Service Director and Representative for the Red Cliff Tribe
9) Dan Vaillancourt – Supervisor for the Town of Lincoln
10) Clyde Clauson – Town of Orienta Clerk
11) Eric Neff – Town of Barnes Supervisor
12) Meagan Quaderer – Bayfield County Emergency Management Director
13) Lynn Divine – Bayfield County Clerk
14) David Larson – Representative for the Village of Mason
15) Colleen Beagan – Representative for City of Bayfield
16) Rob Puls – Representative for Great Divide Ambulance Service
17) Kellie Pederson – UW Extension Madison Community Development Educator
18) David Trudeau – Representative for the Town of Bell
19) Chris Pribek – Ashland Fire/EMS Director
20) Fred Strand – Bayfield County Board Vice-Chair
Item 4. Discussion and Possible Action, Minutes from the December 28, 2021 Ad Hoc EMS
Advisory Committee Meeting: Motion by Cornelius, seconded by Lang to approve the Minutes of the
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Monthly Bayfield County Ad Hoc EMS Advisory Committee Meeting held on December 28, 2021.
Motion carried.
Item 5. Listening Session, Bayfield County EMS Directors:
Tam Hofman, EMS Council President, introduced herself to the committee.
6:07 – Brett Friermood joined the meeting.
Ashland Fire/EMS Director, Chris Pribek, reported that the Ashland Fire/EMS Department is a full-time
department with 24 full-time staff members, which includes administrative staff. The staff is split
between three 8-hour shifts. Pribek stated that all fire and EMS staff are cross trained to handle a variety
of calls. On average, the department responds to 250-300 interfacility transports. During 2021, Ashland
EMS has had difficulties fulfilling mutual aid requests and has had to turn down more intercept requests
than previous years. The coverage area for Ashland EMS includes the City of Ashland and the Towns of
White River, Gingles, Pilsen, Eileen, and Sanborn. Currently, the department is fully staffed. Pribek
explained that the Ashland and Bayfield County area does not have a lot of draw or opportunity to
attract people to the area and make them want to stay. Furthermore, while Ashland EMS does offer a
good wage for the area, the wage is still considered one of the lowest in the state.
Lyn Cornelius, Bayfield Ambulance Service Director, reported that the department takes approximately
150 calls per year on average; however, calls were down to 123 by the end of 2021. The department has
13 employed EMTs with only five of them being considered active. Cornelius reviewed with the
committee what is considered an active EMT. Approximately 35% of the calls received by the
department are for nonresidents of Bayfield. Additional EMS Department issues that Cornelius brought
forward include the amount of paperwork a department is required to complete along with the mental
health of staff members due to the nature of their work. Discussion took place regarding the impact that
modern technology can have on the completion of necessary paperwork, purchasing a software to cover
every agency, and Bayfield County supplying a service that will allow all county EMS employees to
contact a therapist when needed. Quaderer suggested looking into the topics further.
Red Cliff EMS Service Director, Michael Lang, informed the committee that the Red Cliff EMS service
area includes the Town of Russell and the Red Cliff Tribal Reservation. Lang reported that the
department has 10 EMTs, two EMRs, and one seasonal EMT currently employed, with all being
considered active. The department utilizes three active ambulance rigs with a fourth rig being placed on
training status. For the year 2021, the department responded to 296 callouts, which is up from 264 call
outs received in 2020. There were 2 calls received that the department had to decline due to no crew
members being available to take the call. Four mutual aid requests were received in 2021. Lang listed
the following challenges commonly faced by the department: staffing, retention, recruiting, training, and
funding. Additionally, Lang listed a few accomplishments made by the Red Cliff EMS agency, which
included acquiring multiple grants to fund a new ambulance, pay a full-time EMT, and a $1.4 million
grant to build a new facility. The department recently acquired a bunkhouse to offer overnight
accommodations to EMTs working for the department that live out of the area.
Lang listed multiple temporary solutions that may be pursued to solve the challenges that the county
EMS agencies face, including pursuing available grant funding, developing overnight accommodations
to house EMTs traveling from out of the area, Bayfield County providing an umbrella worker’s comp
and insurance policy to allow EMTs to legally work for multiple agencies, putting pressure on the
region’s medical director to sign off on the LCA, and an annual EMS scholarship.
Hofman explained to the committee what the EMS Council is and its purpose. The committee discussed
the difference in purpose and abilities between the EMS Council and the Bayfield County Ad Hoc EMS
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Advisory Committee. The committee was informed that the Bayfield and Ashland County EMS Medical
Director is Dr. Jonathan Shultz.
Item 6. Present Issues Regarding Coverage, Geography, & Boundaries and Item 9. Discussion
Regarding Possible Agenda Topics for February Meeting:
a) Review Coverage Maps: Committee Vice-Chair informed the committee that five of the
Bayfield County EMS coverage areas are larger than some of the counties located in
southern Wisconsin.
b) Review Dispatch Process: Quaderer reviewed the Bayfield County dispatch process.
c) Identify Potential Problems Within This Topic: The committee discussed cons
pertaining to coverage, geography, and boundaries and many committee members
explained that cross credentialing may require agencies and municipalities to distribute
any available funds among multiple agencies and agencies may struggle to familiarize
themselves with the multitude of trails and back roads in each service area.
d) Identify Potential Solutions Within This Topic: Pederson posed cross credentialing as
a solution to the coverage, geography, and boundaries problem. Lang informed the
committee that cross credentialing would need to be supported at the local municipality
and county board levels before it could be brought before the state, which would then
have the power to enact it. Lang continued by explaining that cross credentialing may
lead to further problems attempting to find a funding solution to provide insurance and
worker’s comp to all EMTs, making sure all staff fill out necessary paperwork, and
having staff train with each agency. Friermood reviewed the process to credential with an
agency.
It was suggested that the committee ask EMS medical director, Dr. Shultz to attend the next EMS
Advisory committee meeting to answer questions the committee members and EMS agencies may have
and to offer input into the topic of cross credentialing. The committee members agreed that Dr. Schultz
should be present.
The topic was discussed adding a listening for town officials to the upcoming agenda. Quaderer
explained that there is not a lot of time to add more listening sessions and work towards a possible
solution. It was decided that the town official listening session would be omitted from the future agenda.
Item 7. Discussion Regarding: Where do we go from here?: Committee Vice-Chair, Victorson
dispensed with this item due to the time constraints of the meeting.
Item 8. Public Comment: None
Item 10. Discussion Regarding Future Meeting Dates:
a) Monday, February 28, 2022 at 6:00 PM
b) Monday, March 28, 2022 at 6:00 PM
c) Monday, April 25, 2022 at 6:00 PM
d) Monday, May 23, 2022 at 6:00 PM
Item 11. Adjourn: There being no further business to discuss, a motion was made by Lang, seconded by
Cornelius to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.
Sincerely,
LYNN M. DIVINE
Bayfield County Clerk
LMD/pat