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Page 2 Continued Both the Indian River County Volunteer Ambulance Squad and the EMS Director have agreed that the transition will be a mutually cooperative process. Additional staffing, operational costs, and limited capital equipment will be required to start up and operate the emergency EMS service with full time paid professionals until September 30, 1989, when all EMS functions will be incorporated into a singular budget. It is anticipated that nine additional paramedics will be required along with an Administrative Secretary I and a mechanic position. Currently the County has in place at IRCVAS one Paramedic for each of three emergency vehicles. The nine paramedic positions requested is based on the fact that to fully staff all three primary emergency transport vehicles, one additional paramedic will be required for each vehicle for each of the three shifts. This will provide a complement of two paramedics or a paramedic and a paramedic student on each shift, per primary vehicle, twenty four hours a day. The staff will.be augmented with some volunteers to assist on board the ambulance. The Administrative Secretary I position will be utilized in a support role to log data, provide information to the billing service for the third party billing to occur, administer the office at the Main Station location, maintain shift schedules, perform payroll functions, update protocols, issue BLS and ALS medical supplies, order medical supplies, maintain records relating to inventory of controlled substances, schedule and document training sessions, maintain vehicle maintenance records, and perform other general office duties as well as assisting the Shift Supervisor in daily activities. The mechanic position is predicated on cost savings rationale. The County currently has two emergency transport vehicles. IRCVAS is conveying five additional transport vehichles to the County on July 15, 1989. Two other vehicles are being sought through matching funds from an HRS grant in FY 89-90. This makes a total of nine emergency transport vehicles that will be in service during the next fiscal year. The rate of $7.50 per hour for the mechanic versus $26.00 per hour at Fleet Maintenance accounts for a substantial savings to the EMS service. It should also be noted that Fleet Maintenance cannot always stop work on other equipment to immediate service an ambulance that requires maintenance and these vehicles often require maintenance after hours and on weekends. These diesel powered emergency transport vehicles must receive some degree of daily inspection and maintenance so that a life is not put in jeopardy during transport of a patient to a medical facility. The vehicles are also uniquely equipped with medical life sustaining equipment and some special knowledge or familarization is required to service some of the specialty items used on board the vehicles. Staffing requested is minimal in terms of shift operations. No relief factors have been included in the nine medic positions submitted for approval. Staff anticipates that with approval of two additional paramedic positions requested in the FY 89-90 budget, sufficient relief for sickness, vacation, etc., will be available for the service. ALTERNATIVES AND ANALYSIS For the period July 15 - September 30, 1989, staff estimates the budget to be $119,407. This includes salaries and benefits of JUL 1119989 46 BooK 77 F,�Urr 306L