BULLITT COUNTY, Ky. — EMS directors for several Kentucky counties tell WHAS they are having trouble staying fully staffed.
Meade County EMS director Michael Wise said they've been able to keep three trucks available at all times, despite all employees working overtime. "Which is starting to hurt," said Wise. "People are starting to look to other jobs, look to other places."
But that's not the case in Bullitt County.
"We've completely flipped it all the way around," said Judge Executive Jerry Summers. Bullitt County EMS is fully staffed for the first time in years, and they've actually brought down the response time by over three minutes.
"Oh, it's amazing... ya know, seconds matter to us," said EMS Director Eric Cook. "There's not a one that I can say we could have taken our time on."
So, how did they do it?
Judge Summers said they did three things.
- Increased hourly pay. EMTs now start at $17.50 and paramedics start at $25.
- Purchased new equipment, from trucks to an automatic chest compressor.
- Offered free EMT training to high school seniors.
So far, the county has seen fourteen people graduate from their partnership with Bullitt County Public Schools and Jefferson County Community and Technical College.
Summers said, "as a fiscal court, we promised every one of those graduates a job."
This success does come at a cost. The judge executive estimates they've spent at least $9.5 million on EMS improvements.
That's a price tag that Bullitt county made work, though not all could do the same.
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