North Carolina EMS Works On Advances

With one of the slowest average response times in the Charlotte region, Gaston County Emergency Medical Services has been pressed by commissioners to find ways to get to emergencies faster.

GEMS Director Mark Lamphiear presented the results of a four-month study of the department's status and suggested improvements during Wednesday's Gaston County commissioners meeting.

GEMS receives about 155 calls per 1,000 people living in Gaston County annually, Lamphiear said. The number of calls GEMS responds to annually increased by about 5,000 from 2003 to 2004. In the past 10 years, call volume increased by 222 percent, he said.

An Observer analysis last fall showed that on six out of 10 calls, GEMS did not respond within less than nine minutes, the nationally recommended guideline for response times.

Lamphiear's plan would address response time, coverage, call volume, and pay and benefits for paramedics and emergency medical technicians, and would take three years to implement.

In 2005, Lamphiear said he wants to:

Spend $237,500 on 95 defibrillators for Gaston County Police and Gaston County Sheriff's Office vehicles.

Spend $70,000 on equipment and incentives for rescue squad workers, who often act as first responders in emergencies.

Hire 20 new GEMS employees, including 18 paramedics or emergency medical technicians, a billing clerk and a public education specialist.

Review employee salaries and implement a 401(k) plan to help reduce turnover.

"We think all of those things will help us with our staffing and ability to respond to calls in a timely manner," he said.

In 2006, Lamphiear wants to start using the GEMS station in Lowell 24 hours a day, seven days a week and to add 24-hour stations in the four corners of the county.

In 2007, he plans to address needs in southeast Gastonia.

In other business Wednesday:

Gaston County commissioners Chairman Tom Keigher withdrew his request for county health insurance benefits. Commissioners on Feb. 10 decided to allow commissioners to enroll in the health plan, but disagreed about who should pay for it. Some said commissioners who use the plan should pay the $550 per month it costs the county. Others believed commissioners should pay the same $25 per month contribution employees make. Keigher apologized Wednesday for upsetting residents.

Gaston County commissioners discussed a possible $13 million budget shortfall in the 2005-06 budget. Last year's budget was about $191 million.