WC hopes to hire EMTS

Since January, the Dodge Center Ambulance has helped those communities not part of its Primary Service Area from time to time.
As it stands now, the Primary Service Area includes Claremont, Mantorville, Kasson, and Dodge Center.
Now the Ambulance will recoup some of the funding for calls it takes when the ambulance service is acting as the Primary Service provider.
Currently West Concord relies on Dodge Center Ambulance to provide an ambulance service to its community Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. due to West Concord not having enough volunteers.
Under a previous agreement West Concord provided no funding to Dodge Center and instead the Dodge Center Ambulance is allowed to bill for any calls they go on.
Beginning Dec. 1, West Concord, and Hayfield’s Ambulance will be charged $34 an hour, anytime Dodge Center is acting as the primary ambulance for the departments. The agreement wouldn’t impact any mutual aid calls.
In the meantime, West Concord is hopeful the department will be able to hire full-time staff, to avoid having to spend resources outside of the city.
“West Concord is still seeking experienced paid EMTs and a full-time, paid Ambulance Director,” West Concord City Administrator Paula Even Trenda wrote in an email. “We are actively conducting interviews to find the best candidates. To ensure continued staffing of the West Concord Ambulance Service, we have entered into a contract with Dodge Center. This agreement allows either party to terminate coverage with a 30-day notice.”
She said the city’s “long-term plan is to fill these positions internally within the City of West Concord and eventually end the contract with Dodge Center.”
“While the timeline for this transition is still uncertain, we are dedicated to recruiting and filling these roles as soon as possible,” Trenda said.