Audrey Bentz
In November, the Klickitat County Emergency Medical Services District is asking voters to approve a new six-year operating levy of 50 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value. The new levy will replace an expiring operating levy of 30 cents per thousand dollars, which has been inadequate almost from the formation of the District in 2013. The new levy will stabilize the EMS District’s finances, support needed improvements, and allow continued high levels of ambulance service to Klickitat County residents.
Klickitat County’s ambulance service responds with life-saving assistance 24 hours daily, but it is severely impaired with under-funding at this point. One of the financial struggles is to upgrade the existing equipment, such as replacing the “boxes” on their ambulances, which badly need improvement. Some of the ambulances have 250,000 miles on them (generally ambulances are put to secondary use only with just 150,000 miles). To reduce frequent breakdowns, a new ambulance is severely needed. If it were to be purchased on credit, the added cost could be excessive.
Another challenge is that when the EMS District was formed it took over both Skyline’s and Klickitat Valley Health’s ambulance services, which tripled the service area and doubled the call volume. On top of that, call volume has continued to increase by 4% each year, and low reimbursement on calls doesn’t come close to covering expenses. High Prairie residents may remember when, in 2012, nighttime ambulance service was discontinued due to lack of funding. No one wants them to have to economize at the expense of people in need. With passage of the operating levy, problems such as these can be avoided.
Another aspect of the problem is that employees currently must pay for all their own training (about 50 hours annual requirement), regular re-certification requirements, etc. The EMT’s start at minimum wage, and many have second jobs. The extra expenses and low wages make it hard to recruit and retain high quality personnel.
The operating levy on this November’s ballot is needed to replace outdated ambulance and medical equipment, provide a sustainable living wage for high quality employees to be able to live in Klickitat County, hire staff for a needed fourth ambulance, outfit a trailer for Mass Casualty Incidents (for example, train derailments or school shootings), and maintain safe and effective emergency ambulance service for everyone in Klickitat County.