Village Board Approves Paramedic Training for EMS Service

Patient care will be enhanced with additional training that will allow Baldwin Area EMS Service to offer paramedic care to patients. The move to paramedic care by the Baldwin Area EMS was approved by the Baldwin village board at a special meeting held last Wednesday, April 23.

According to Baldwin Area EMS Service Director Craig Nelson, the additional training and move to paramedic status will allow the Service to provide "people with the best patient care possible." He said the level of care will increase both for 9-1-1 calls and transport calls.

Nelson said current plans call for between eight and 12 people to receive paramedic training. He noted that the Service is also looking at hiring some outside paramedics if necessary. Primarily, the paramedic training provides for advanced care in the areas of cardiac care and allows some additional medications.

The move will also have financial implications, said Nelson. He said rules at the federal level have also added incentive for the change.

Village Administrator Cindy Deringer said the upgrade will make the village eligible for some federal funding and will put Baldwin Area EMS Service ahead of national standards. She added that the main cost of the upgrade is additional training expenses, but the EMS Service has always incurred training expenses.

Deringer noted that there was concern that paramedics trained at village expense would leave for other services and so some contract language is being explored that would compensate the village for those expenses in some circumstances.

In other action at the meeting the board:

Passed an emergency Operations Plan and a resolution identifying a line of succession in the event of an emergency. The line of success includes the village president and then trustees. Both Municipal Court Judge Howard Ott and Secretary Shelley Lansing have announced their resignation from their posts. After discussion, the board passed a motion to ask Tammy Hovde, who ran for the position in the spring election but was defeated by incumbent Judge Ott, if she is still interested in the position. There is a training session for municipal judges in early May. The board also discussion a temporary replacement judge for the next couple court sessions.