Action was taken to approve an increase for Pulaski County EMS workers.
In a previous meeting, EMS Director Nikki Lowry requested a wage increase for her workers to keep staff in her department. Lowry has experienced a severe turnover in staff in the last few months due to better pay by other County EMS departments. In order to be competitive with surrounding agencies, Lowry asked that the Council help in approving an increase in wages for the staff.
The Pulaski County Council members took a giant step last night to help keep paramedics and EMS staff members in the county.
EMS Director Nikki Lowry previously pleaded with the county council to help retain her staff as they are leaving for higher pay in surrounding counties. The turnover rate is very high. She asked that a committee get together and aid her in restructuring pay in the EMS budget.
A committee will look into wages and salaries in the coming weeks in Pulaski County.
EMS Director Nikki Lowry begged the Pulaski County Council for help as she cannot keep staff in her department. She said she is in desperate need for paramedics, but the county’s wages and benefits don’t entice potential applicants to work with the county. According to Lowry, first-year staff members don’t get any extra time off.
Pulaski County EMS Director Nikki Lowry is still in need of paramedics for her department.
She told the commissioners this week that she is currently in the hiring process for staff. While she gets plenty of applications for basic life service, she needs to have advanced life service staff, which is required.
The Pulaski County Council approved an additional appropriation for the EMS for the purchase of an ambulance and new cardiac monitors.
EMS Director Nikki Lowry requested $88,000 in an additional appropriation in order to pay for the new ambulance. The insurance company will be paying $82,000 to the county after totaling the ambulance that was damaged in a fire on Feb. 7 at Wagner’s Towing. The cost of a new ambulance is approximately $150,000.
The Pulaski County Commissioners approved a quote for a new ambulance during their meeting on Monday night.
EMS officials announced last week that the ambulance damaged from a February fire and subsequently repaired did not pass state inspection so it was totaled by the insurance company.
During this week’s meeting, EMS Director Nikki Lowry presented the commissioners with four quotes for a new ambulance. They approved a quote from Arrow in the amount of $130,700. Since the insurance company totaled the truck, an $82,000 settlement will go toward the purchase of a new ambulance.
The Pulaski County Commissioners received an update on the fire-damaged ambulance Monday night.
EMS Director Nikki Lowry said the repairs have been completed. She said that the ambulance is in Tipton and needs new brakes. The company that did the repairs on the ambulance quoted them $650 for new pads, rotors and all repairs needed.
The Pulaski County Commissioners will meet tomorrow in executive session to interview five candidates for the assistant EMS director job. The meeting will take place at 3 p.m. EDT at the courthouse. EMS Director Nikki Lowry asked the commissioners to conduct the interviews so she can avoid the appearance of favoritism, since she knows each of the five applicants personally. If the commissioners do the hiring, they must do so during a public meeting.
Pulaski County EMS is down one ambulance until one damaged during a recent fire can be either certified and put back into service or totaled and replaced.
Director Nikki Lowry told the county commissioners Monday that the county’s insurance adjuster asked her to inspect the truck. Lowry said she’s not qualified to do anything more than determine whether it’s clean. The vendor from whom the county bought the most recent ambulance is willing to help if the county will bring the truck to Iowa.
The Pulaski County Council met with the commissioners in a joint session Monday night to discuss the salary ordinance, which sparked some discussion regarding a pay increase for the sheriff’s department that had once been on the proposed ordinance, but was stricken from the latest draft.
