Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee - Regular Meeting — Minutes

MINUTES AD HOC EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS) STUDY COMMITTEE JUNE 25, 2026 CHIPPEWA COUNTY COURTHOUSE, RM 302 5:30 PM 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Guthman called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Pam Guthman (Chair) County Board Supervisor Present Peter Gehring (Vice-Chair) County Board Supervisor Present Justus Busse Chippewa Falls Fire & EMS Battalion Chief Absent 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 Present Ron Patten EMS Association Chair Present Deb Semanko Cornell City Council Absent Pauline Spiegel Town of Eagle Point Supervisor Absent Dave Staber Lafayette Town Chair & Fire District Board Absent Eric Weiland Cadott Village Board & EMS Present Eugene Gutsch Wheaton EMS Director Absent Mike Novak Sub for Dave Staber – not allowed to vote Present Others Present: Garret Zastoupil, Traci Bremness, Tamee Thom, Jason Moses and Jaclyn Sadler. Andy Albarado and James Small appeared via Zoom. 3. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO BE HEARD There were no members of the public wishing to be heard. 4. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approve the Agenda 2. Approve the Minutes – 06/04/2026 3. Schedule Next Meeting Date – 08/06/2026 at 5:30 pm Chair Guthman proposed to cover the Report 5.2 (Presentation of EMS Strategy Survey Findings) first and then move to the business item. Motion (Gehring/Patten) to approve all consent agenda items and the modified agenda. Carried 7-0. 5. REPORTS 1. Debrief of June 4, 2026 Meeting 2. Presentation of EMS Strategy Survey Findings Garret Zastoupil shared the results of the EMS Strategy Survey Findings. The main points from the conversation of the findings include: • Discussion of a Full Time EMS Coordinator position. o Funding would be a separate tax levy that’s outside of the current County Tax levy. o EMS Coordinator would create/maintain relationships with departments and CVTC. EMS Coordinator will need to be a bridge builder and possibly someone from outside of Chippewa County. o EMS Coordinator has the potential for a high ROI (return on investment). o Bayfield, Portage and Dane Counties have or are in the process of creating an EMS Coordinator position. James Small will provide job descriptions from other counties to the committee. o Suggestion from Supervisor Gehring about creating a small committee of 3 people from EMS Districts instead of a Full Time Coordinator. Several other members spoke against the suggestion. o Who does the EMS Coordinator report to? Emergency Management Director or County Administrator. • Bloomer and Colfax EMS Ghost Schedules – Supervisor Gehring will provide a copy and information on the schedules. o Bloomer still struggles with second calls out. • Currently, no formal infrastructure among EMS entities to be in communication with each other and volunteers can no longer hold up these systems. • Workforce shortage exists and throwing money at staffing isn’t always the answer. • What is the role of the committee after the report goes to the County Board? o Possible transition to an oversight committee. • If Chippewa County is going to allocate funds it needs to be planned forby the end of the Summer for the 2027 budget. • County Administrator Albarado and James Small both recommend creating a coordinator position versus hiring a consultant to conduct a study. • Creation of “our areas” versus “my area” for coverage – the closest department responds. 6. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. Updated Timeline (discussion and possible action) Motion (Patten/Dixon) to recommend the creation of an EMS Coordinator position, including identifying the scope of work, and then transitioning the EMS Ad Hoc Study Committee to an EMS Advisory Committee after the position is created. Motion Carried 7-0. Timeline moving forward: • Submit materials for draft report to Guthman and Zastoupil including scope of work by July 24, 2026 • Next Ad Hoc Committee meeting August 6, 2026 to review the draft report • Present report to the Executive Committee on September 1, 2026 • Present report to the County Board on September 8, 2026 7. AGENDA ITEMS FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION 8. ADJOURN Motion (Gehring/Weiland) to adjourn at 7:15 p.m. Carried 7-0.