Fountain Valley fire chief makes pitch for full-time emergency medical services manager
The Fountain Valley Fire Department went before the City Council on Tuesday night to present its case for the hiring of a full-time emergency medical services (EMS) manager.
A part-time position was first created in 2014, Fountain Valley Fire Chief Ron Cookston said, owing to a significant increase in the number of calls the department fielded per year. In a study session, Cookston indicated that the department’s call load was about 2,500 in 1995 and has increased to 7,000.
The position acts as the Fire Department’s prehospital care advocate and liaison. Vital duties of the EMS manager included quality assurance and improvement, as the presiding nurse would create an educational curriculum to enhance the knowledge of the paramedics.
Additionally, the EMS manager participated on county and state committees. Cookston said that was important because it helped to “keep our paramedics informed on all of the responsibilities that come up and change as state and federal law changes.”
Fountain Valley Mayor Cheryl Brothers is among a group of seven candidates who will have their names on the ballot for the two available seats on the City Council in the November election.
As the city has dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, the value of the position was only further accentuated.
“The COVID-19 crisis identified how important our EMS manager is,” Cookston said. “The EMS manager position itself solely helped educate and protect every department in our city during this crisis.”
But the position could offer even more to the community if the city assumed full control. Fountain Valley fire personnel has assumed the most vital duties of the position after the most recent EMS manager, Shelley Brukman, took a job to pursue pediatric education, Cookston added.
Fountain Valley had entered into an agreement with Huntington Beach on a 75%-25% split of the salary for the EMS manager, with the latter city paying the lesser amount, but Cookston said that with a larger staff, Huntington Beach is able to fulfill its EMS needs without the arrangement.
With a full-time EMS manager available, Cookston believes that the position would be able to provide additional services to the community. The Fire Department wants to incorporate public education programs, help skilled nursing facilities on fall prevention and assist in COVID-19 prevention.
Public education for schools and enhanced hospital relationships would also be a priority.
Councilman Patrick Harper said that the fire chief will return at a future meeting to provide more details on the position.
“In the past, there has been difficulties with part-time staffing, so hiring a full-time person is the best option to recruit a person of the requisite skill level,” Harper said with regard to the prospective hiring of an EMS manager.
Cookston was encouraged by how the council received the presentation.
“The EMS manager position just provides incredible education and opportunity for our community,” Cookston said. “We’re a small town of two [fire] stations that is very busy and runs a lot of calls. We’re very excited to be working with the council to keep this important position a part of our team.”
Council members also voted to approve the purchase of new vehicle-extrication equipment for the Fire Department.
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