The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County, St. Mary’s County Health Department, the Volunteer Rescue Squads and the St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services are committed to providing emergency medical service response to our citizens during the pandemic.
The Department of Emergency Services is working toward supplementing the county’s volunteer EMS services. The county plans to contract with private Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic EMS Service providers to address the immediate need using federal CARES funding. The county will partner with local rescue squads to place contract EMT’s at local rescue squads. Contract EMT’s, in partnership with the local rescue squads, will use the respective rescue squads’ ambulances for response and transport of persons needing emergency medical treatment.
During the COVID Pandemic, volunteer First Responder services have been strained, making it increasingly difficult to staff ambulances and ALS vehicles. Each of the county’s seven volunteer rescue squads has asked the county for assistance in their ambulances’ staffing, particularly in daytime hours when many volunteers are at their regular employment place.
The county is also exploring the purchase of an ambulance that would be owned by the county and used as a further supplement to the county’s EMS services.
Steve Walker, Director of Emergency Services, will brief the Emergency Services Board at their regular scheduled meeting Wednesday, Oct. 14, and the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County on Oct. 27.
