Beech Tree News Network

"15,341 Calls Made to Dispatch"

"As many of you know I took over day-to-day operations of dispatch July 1, 2020. So that everyone knows, I was a dispatcher myself and certified in NCIC. Since July me and Charlie found a grant for dispatch. Never did a grant before. I applied for it along with help from Charlie, Becky, and Tim. The grant was for dispatch radios consoles. Ours is 1974-1980 models. We were able to land the grant to get new consoles. On January 11, and the whole week from Monday -Friday, those consoles will be installed. This will cause us to effectively page everyone out if need be at one time and talk on those channels at one time about on scene information. These consoles are brand new and all dispatchers will have to come in and do training on them. If anyone has ever heard the cutting in and out when dispatch is talking, that’s because our consoles we have are 45-years old and playing out. The new consoles will help this out tremendously.

We still have 5 full-times dispatchers, 3 certified, 1 going to academy in February 2021 1 to be enrolled and 4 part-time employees. Keep in mind we may lose 2 employees in the first 6 months of January due to retirement and moving off. Everything else is holding up good so far. Hopefully, Becky and Dillon will be able to get ahead of this new state grant comping up and we can get more new equipment in dispatch. During Covid, 3/5 of the employees tested positive; all recovered and are doing well. All full-time employees did get the Covid vaccine today also.

"EMS is still holding on strong. Did get some money from carers act in the amount of $70,000, was not $210,000 like Edmonson County gets that works the same way we do but the $70,000 did help. Right now, we are at 2,417 runs for the calendar year compared to 2721 runs from last year. That is a difference in 304 runs that we budgeted for that we did not make this year. With loss of revenue and having to pay for 7 employees to be off and 7 employees to cover their duties on the rigs and tax money trickling in, EMS was still able to make do and hope for the best."

EMS DIRECTOR CHARLES "BUBBY" PRICE

"We are first in front line workers that worked every day with Covid patients and still are as we speak even when we do not feel good and still do the lesser paid from Covid Cares Act money. We know what we all signed up for when we accepted this calling and we still wake up everyday ready to help our county out and others when called upon."

"All our trucks are in good running conditions, however the chemicals we have had to use have taken a toll on our equipment, uniforms, boots, interior of our trucks and in our mentally well being of our minds. We look positively on the new coming year to help everyone in need and distress and in some instances just talk to patients. We are also looking for a solid way to upgrade our heart monitors in our trucks to give everyone the best care they deserve. Our employees will go above and beyond their call of duty even when we are in troubling times to help anyone out and give every patient the care that they deserve."

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Editor's Note: This report was presented by Mr. Price at the last Butler County Fiscal Court meeting.