Pulaski County Emergency Medical Services is looking at a wage restructuring to help with staff retention. EMS Director Brandon DeLorenzo told the county council Monday that two out of every three days, there’s only one paramedic-staffed ambulance in service at a time.
“A basic service can really just stabilize some bleeding and rush you to the hospital,” he explained. “The paramedic service is what brings the ER to the patient.”
His proposal would make EMS staff eligible for a longevity increase after two years, rather than five, and address several inconsistencies as to when raises take place and for how much. He said it still wouldn’t pay as much as other departments, but it would be competitive because of Pulaski County’s lower call volume. It would increase the EMS budget by $55,000 to $60,000, mainly in full-time wages.
The council voted six-to-one to let county officials proceed with drawing up the changes to the county’s salary matrix, which will then go back to the council for final approval.
Kathi Thompson cast the lone opposing vote. “I’m not saying that they don’t deserve the extra pay,” she said. “I’m just saying we have to cut $700,000 out of our budget next year to begin with.”
She also worried that raising EMS salaries would lead other departments to ask for similar raises. But Council Member Adam Loehmer argued that EMS is different.
“It’s a 56-hour work week, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday,” Loehmer noted. “Whatever it is, they’re always there. I would say to some other departments that, I believe, there’s 17 or 18 paid holidays off. They’re never on call.”
As for how to pay for the raises, some ideas include using American Rescue Plan Act money, and in the long term, shifting some of the local income tax revenues away from the county’s 911 center and into the more general public safety allocation.
