A group of Logan County Chamber members gathered Wednesday morning at Mary Rutan Health for the Chamber’s monthly Business Impact meeting featuring local fire and EMS leaders.
The discussion focused on emergency services across Logan County and the challenges first responders face in serving local communities.
Among those speaking were Brian Wilson, Chief of the Bellefontaine Fire Department; TJ Weikart, Assistant Chief and EMS Coordinator for Huntsville Volunteer Fire and EMS; and Chuck Wirick, a Washington Township Police officer and Advanced EMT with the Indian Lake EMS Joint Ambulance District.
The trio discussed several ongoing challenges facing emergency services agencies, including difficulties filling staffing positions, increasing call volumes, and concerns over future funding if property taxes are abolished in Ohio this fall.
They also talked about reimbursement rates from programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, saying payments received for emergency services often do not fully cover the actual costs of providing care and response services.
The gentlemen also noted they are seeing an increase in women joining their organizations, especially in firefighter roles, rather than primarily serving in EMS positions as had traditionally been more common.
It was also mentioned that emergency agencies across Logan County work well together and frequently put aside departmental differences to focus on what is best for each situation, regardless of the uniform being worn.
There is also a lot of crossover service between the departments, meaning someone may work full-time at one department, then part-time or volunteer with another.
The panel also shared information about their departments, emergency response operations, staffing, training, and the importance of cooperation between agencies throughout Logan County.
The monthly Business Impact meetings hosted by the Logan County Chamber are designed to connect local business leaders with organizations and issues affecting the community.
The next Business Impact meeting will feature a panel of small business owners and is scheduled for June 10th at 8 a.m. at Mary Rutan Health.
