by Geoff Fox
The Washington County Division of Emergency Services (DES) has completed the EMS Employee transition agreement with the Hancock Rescue Squad.
The milestone follows the approval of the employee transition Memorandum of Understanding earlier this year, which would allow DES to integrate the current EMS employees of Company 59 into county employment.
This staffing transition will also help to enhance emergency services in Hancock and the surrounding areas by adding eight new firefighters/fire apparatus operators, ensuring dedicated 24-hour staffing
for Hancock Rescue Squad. The enhancements also help to address critical concerns raised by the Hancock Fire Department regarding delayed mutual aid response times and staffing challenges in the remote Hancock area.
Hancock’ s Rescue Squad plays a vital role in providing EMS, rescue, and firefighting operations to Western Washington County and response times from mutual aid units often exceed 15 to 20 minutes, with some units arriving understaffed.
To improve these conditions, the Department of Emergency Services has worked to transition existing EMS employees into county employment; create consistent staffing for Rescue Squad 59, ensuring immediate response capabilities; and lay the groundwork for staffing a second ambulance owned by Hancock Rescue Squad.
“We are proud to welcome the Hancock Rescue Squad team to the Washington County DES family,” said Director of Emergency Services R. David Hays. “The transition, combined with additional staffing, will significantly enhance fire and rescue capabilities, reduce response times, and improve safety for both residents and first responders in Hancock and surrounding areas.”
The county has worked diligently to ensure a seamless transition for the EMS employees joining DES, including providing access to county resources, uniforms, and email accounts for operational communication.
While the EMS transition employees will initially staff EMS transportation units, DES is actively recruiting and hiring to fill vacant positions for the fire and rescue staffing.
The Division of Emergency Services leadership team is working with the Hancock Rescue Squad Board of Directors and the Hancock EMS Chief to formalize the staffing transition and to work on finalizing a staffing plan for the rescue squad to help ensure operational readiness as this transition takes place, they said.
