Face the State

Face The State Staff Report

In the wake of a projected $100 million state budget shortfall, two state lawmakers are poised to run a bill that will ask for a $1 increase in vehicle registration fees to help fund access to ambulances and other emergency medical services throughout rural parts of the state.

Delta Co.David Benbennick

According to Randy Kuykendall, chief of the Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Section at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the increase would be directed primarily at developing rural emergency medical services, including recruitment and retention of staff and volunteers for rural areas. Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and Rep. Cherylin Peniston, D-Westminster, are sponsoring the legislation.

Rural communities rely heavily on volunteers to staff local ambulance services and many say they are struggling to fill open positions. Supporters of the new fee allege that small tax bases in these towns makes establishing a taxpayer-funded ambulance service very difficult, and meanwhile, demand doesn't exist to fund a private service.

The North Fork Ambulance Association in Delta County is one rural ambulance service desperately seeking volunteers, especially those trained to serve as emergency medical technicians, also known as EMTs. The service currently boasts about 25 active volunteers, but Kathy Steckel, who has been on the service for 13 years, says it is still short by at least 10 people. “Volunteerism doesn’t seem to be at the levels it was 10 to 15 years ago,” she said, adding that without more volunteers, the quality of North Fork's ambulance service will suffer and eventually face cuts.

Kuykendall said Steckel's concern is not uncommon and that the shortage of volunteer EMTs is a problem in rural areas across Colorado. “I’m not sure in the long haul that volunteer services will continue to be viable,” he said. “Call volume is going up and people are working more.”

In order to accommodate the volunteer shortage, Steckel said the NFAA has explored the possibility of becoming a paid service. The revenue to pay for the additional staff would be obtained through the creation of a special tax district that could raise mill levy taxes for ambulance services. State law requires voter approval for the creation of a special tax district and any proposed increases. “To provide the service that we provide today with a paid crew, the wages alone would be $900,000 a year,” said Steckel.

North Fork services about 750 calls each year over an area of 1,500 square miles. Kuykendall called that number of calls a “danger zone” but said the volume is not high enough to provide the revenue necessary to fund a paid service.

The NFAA is currently a membership-based service, offering residents membership for $65 a year in exchange for emergency access to the system, while those without a membership are charged standard rates for services. If volunteer services become unsustainable and voters do not opt for a tax-based system, state statute dictates the local fire district is responsible for providing care.

Despite the needs of Colorado's EMS system, Morse and Peniston's bill faces stiff competition next session. The state's transportation woes alone are estimated at $1.5 billion and slated to be the top issue of the 2009 legislative session, with a substantial increase in vehicle registration fees already being floated as a funding mechanism for Colorado's crumbling roads and bridges.

Kuykendall maintains the proposed $1 registration increase is not “overly burdensome,” but he is prepared for a difficult debate. “Regardless of the economic environment, the EMS system is always going to be in demand,” he said.