Waushara County boasts rapid EMS response times

SAFER board member Mark Malone, Weston, told the Marathon County Public Safety Committee last week Wednesday that Waushara County provided a model for a county-wide EMS.

The Waushara County EMS employs 21 full time and 25 part-time people who have a range of EMS licensure. The service operates seven ambulances housed in four stations strategically located about the county with a population of approximately 25,000. The service covers a handful of townships in Adams and Marquette counties.

The county EMS started in 1975 when it purchased an ambulance operated by the Poy Sippi Fire Department.

Waushara County EMS chief Brian Donaldson said his county was either “visionary or lucky” to adopt a central EMS service. He believes his service provides a high level of medical care at a cost-effective price with an annual budget of $3.5 million.

He said his county system handled 3,590 calls in 2021. On average, his department was on scene at an accident in roughly 11 and one-half minutes. Alternatively, his department was on scene within 19 and half minutes in 90 percent of calls.

Donaldson, who serves as president of the Wisconsin EMS Association, said that while Waushara County has a consolidated EMS service, local communities continue to run their own fire departments and First Responder units.

He said a professional EMS service was needed in Waushara County because highly trained volunteers for an ambulance service were “non-existent.”

He acknowledged that convincing current EMS departments to switch to a consolidated service was “a tough sell.” He said that people are not necessarily analytical when it comes to designing emergency systems.

“Pride and ego get in the way of making a good business decision,” he said.

Donaldson said he spoke to people in Marathon County trying to get a consolidated EMS service in the last half of 2021.