By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
As part of the regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors on July 2, the supervisors continued work on developing a countywide map to show which areas would be covered by each of the three EMS services the county has chosen to work with (Stuart, Adair and Panora). A draft of a map showing color-coded areas to be covered by each of the three EMS services was discussed.
Maggie Armstrong made a motion to approve the preliminary map, so that negotiations could begin, to work on the goal of finding the best coverage plan for certain areas not yet assigned (Jackson and Bear Grove townships). The motion passed 4-1, with Mike Dickson voting against.
Lengthy discussion focused on how to consider both population and call volume into the map and plan. Armstrong pointed out that call volume will fluctuate.
“Yes, there will be areas that are more intense than others, but population guarantees that everybody has as close to the same amount of service as we can provide,” Armstrong said.
After discussion, the supervisors voted unanimously to consider both population and call volume in the negotiations.
Other news
The supervisors discussed the Guthrie County Compensation Board. Auditor Dani Fink explained that as of July 1, legislation has changed regarding this, which means that counties no longer need to have a compensation board. The supervisors are allowed to serve that function, if desired. The supervisors chose to table this discussion to allow more time to consider the options.
Health Services Director Jotham Arber addressed the supervisors about his proposal to develop a First Responders system in each fire district within the county. He explained that, as the name suggests, the first responders would be able to be on the scene quickly to deal with life-threatening situations. He pointed out that some pain relief and many medications would likely have to wait until EMS personnel arrive. The supervisors unanimously approved Arber to continue pursuing this effort.
The next regular meeting of the supervisors will be Tuesday, July 9. The public is welcome. Attendees may participate in person or by calling 323-792-6123 and inputting conference ID 547029216#.