Parkman Township Trustees discussed a potential partnership with Community Care Ambulance during their March 17 meeting.
Parkman Township Trustees discussed a potential partnership with Community Care Ambulance during their March 17 meeting.
Chris Brook, CCA customer relations, said the company already holds contracts with Middlefield Village and Middlefield Township, and a new agreement would ensure township residents have around-the-clock emergency medical services.
Trustee Joyce Peters said Parkman cannot staff its fire station for EMS coverage 24/7.
“We are only covered about 50% of the time. We need to take care of that,” she said, adding Parkman is not alone in facing staffing shortages.
“It’s clear most (fire/EMS) departments in the state are not going to last,” Peters said. “We need to consolidate, share services, work together. It’s been difficult for us to find that avenue of working together.”
The Parkman fire station typically has only one person on duty, Peters said. However, as previously reported, two are needed to respond to emergencies, requiring mutual aid from nearby communities, many of which face similar staffing shortages.
Brook said competition for trained EMS personnel contributes to the problem.
“It’s not any single department’s fault. After the COVID pandemic, the pool of people dwindled to nothing. Volunteerism is at a catastrophic level, now,” he said, noting that many paramedics and EMTs have transitioned to nursing or other careers.
“We’re not getting the coverage we need in certain areas,” Brook said.
EMS demand is “extremely high,” making it difficult for smaller departments to hire paramedics and other staff, he said.
Peters said residents must often rely on mutual aid due to staffing gaps.
“If you call an ambulance, they can’t even take you. They still need to call for help. It delays everything,” Peters said. “The state fire marshal is pushing townships toward consolidation.”
The conversation with Brook was just a first step to solving the issue, Peters said.
“Many things would have to be worked out,” Peters said March 21, suggesting one possibility could be staffing the Parkman station from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. with township EMS personnel while relying on CCA for daytime response.
The proposed CCA contract would cost about $120,000 per year, potentially funded through the fire levy, she said.
Brook noted that Middlefield Village and Township each pay $120,000 annually for coverage.
CCA has contracts across Northeast Ohio and operates 24/7 out of the Middlefield Township Road Department garage at 15228 Madison Road, south of the village, according to the village website.
Currently, the company has one ambulance dedicated to Middlefield and several others serving surrounding communities, Brook said.
“We have multiple resources running around the area,” he said. “Our 9-1-1 never goes down. It’s staffed all the time.”
The Middlefield operation averages 20 to 30 calls per week, with volumes increasing in summer, he said.
If Parkman contracts with CCA, there could be two ambulances dedicated to daytime calls and one for nighttime coverage across the three-entity contract area, Brook said, adding he hopes Huntsburg Township will also join the program.
Response times for Parkman would average about 15 minutes from the Middlefield garage, he said.
“Fifteen minutes is better than not here,” Peters said.
Brook said having an established operation nearby is a major advantage.
“Not everybody has a Middlefield to work with. They are tried and true,” he said.
Middlefield Fire Lt. Ben Reed, who attended the Parkman meeting, said working with CCA provides more resources than separate fire/EMS departments could offer.
“It’s a great system. We can assist on a full arrest, we can send resources with the (CCA) ambulance. That’s a huge thing,” he said, adding having CCA in the district is a plus. “We love to handle (cases) in house. That’s everybody’s goal. But it doesn’t work out that way all the time.”
Reed added that the CCA partnership would improve coverage for the area.
“This is a good chance to push the reset button — get staffing now and look for bigger and better things for the whole region,” he said.
Parkman Fire Chief Mike Komandt said staffing shifts, particularly on weekends, is a challenge, and about half of his employees prefer 24-hour shifts.
Peters said March 21 past efforts to collaborate with Troy Township Fire Department have been unsuccessful, so she is pursuing the township’s eventual inclusion in the East Geauga Fire District.
“We have a lot to figure out, yet, to see if we’re going in this direction,” she said. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”
