Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee - Regular Meeting — Minutes

MINUTES AD HOC EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS) STUDY COMMITTEE Regular Meeting August 6, 2026 – 5:30 PM Chippewa County Courthouse, Room 003 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Guthman called the meeting to order at 5:31 PM. 2. ROLL CALL Attendee Name Title Status Pam Guthman (Chair) County Board Supervisor Present Peter Gehring (Vice-Chair) County Board Supervisor Present Justus Busse Chippewa Falls Fire & EMS Battalion Chief Present Dan Dixon Chippewa Falls District 5 Alderman Present Sandi Frion Bloomer City Administrator Absent Dale Isaacs Boyd Village Board Present Corey LaNou Town of Arthur Chair Absent Ron Patten EMS Association Chair Present Deb Semanko Cornell City Council Absent Pauline Spiegel Town of Eagle Point Supervisor Present Dave Staber Lafayette Town Chair & Fire District Board Absent Eric Weiland Cadott Village Board & EMS Present Eugene Gutsch Wheaton EMS Director Present Others Present: Traci Bremness, Andy Albarado, James Small, Amber Gilles, Chief Scott Bernette (in place of Dave Staber), Jason Moses, Tammy Thom 3. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO BE HEARD (Comments from the public will be limited to five minutes per speaker.) No public comments were recorded. 4. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approve the Agenda 2. Approve the Minutes of the – June 25, 2026 Motion (Gehring/Busse) to approve at 5:33PM. Motion carried 9-0. 5. REPORTS No reports were presented. 6. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. Review of the Ad Hoc EMS Committee Report and Possible Approval for Submission to the Executive Committee a. Andy Albarado presented the draft EMS Committee Report. i. Committee members discussed: 1. Discussion included the potential impact of funding an EMS Coordinator position on local EMS operations. Funding would support only the coordinator position, with implementation costs remaining the responsibility of participating in EMS services. 2. Discussion between .5 and a 1.0 FTE position was discussed 3. The EMS Coordinator position would be the next step in evaluating EMS in Chippewa County 4. Discussion of potential Rural Health Transformation grant opportunity may be to fund the EMS Coordinator position for up to four years. 5. Members discussed the need for clear communication regarding expected responsibilities and benefits of the position. 6. Discussion around the fire district does have some concerns, maybe sending a letter regarding the proposal 7. Discussion that the recommendation is intended to foster collaboration and equitable EMS service throughout the county rather than replace local services. 8. Committee members discussed that they have fulfilled the charge and members stressed the importance of education and communication as the process moves forward. Motion (Dixon/Weiland) to adopt the EMS Study Committee Report and forward it, attaching a memo, to the Executive Committee. Motion carried 9-0. 2. Review Draft EMS Coordinator Position Description a. Members discussed the position could support a full-time role with the amount of position responsibilities. b. Other members agreed that a full-time position would attract a stronger candidate and recommended hiring an external candidate to avoid perceived bias. c. A member expressed concern about obtaining county board and financial support d. Members discussed establishing an EMS Advisory Committee to provide guidance and direction for the position. e. Suggestion for an edit in the job description language in the Job Summary section from "ensure" to "help ensure." Motion (Dixon/Isaacs) to approve the EMS Coordinator Position Description with the following revisions, change position status from 0.5 FTE to 1.0 FTE and revise the Job Summary to state “help ensure”. Motion Carried 8-0, with Gehring abstaining. 3. Discuss Communication with Town and Villages a. Members discussed strategies for sharing the EMS Study Committee Report with municipalities. b. Members noted that once finalized, the report will be a public document available for distribution. c. Discussion included distributing the report with a cover letter explaining its purpose and recommendations. Motion (Patten/Busse) to distribute the EMS Committee Report to Towns and Villages throughout the county prior to Executive Committee review. Motion Carried 9-0. 4. Discuss and Scheduling of Next Meeting (If Necessary) a. No additional meetings will be scheduled unless requested by the Executive Committee. 7. AGENDA ITEMS FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION None identified. 8. ADJOURN Motion (Weiland/ Patten) to adjourn at 6:43 PM. Motion carried 9-0. The mission of this committee is to: A. Assess the strengths and challenges of Chippewa County EMS services. B. Review other county and municipal EMS models. C. Develop recommendations to ensure sustainable and effective EMS operations over the next decade. D. Establish an action plan for the implementation of these recommendations Adopted by the Chippewa County Board per Resolution 39-25