The Benton County Board of Supervisors declared emergency medical services to be an essential county service at their regular meeting today with appointments to the advisory council set for next week.

This is a huge step moving forward for the future of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Benton Co. In 2021, Governor Reynolds signed legislation SF 615 allowing EMS Departments in Iowa a chance to be declared an essential service putting them on the same level as fire departments and law enforcement across the State.

Without EMS being declared as an essential service, when a person calls for an ambulance, there is no guarantee an ambulance would arrive or where it would come from. The declaration allows for an ad valorem property tax for EMS and the creation of the advisory council to assist in researching and assessing the service needs of the county and guiding implementation of the same.

To pay for this, voters will be asked to approve taxation benefiting EMS departments with a 60% approval to pass. It has not yet been determined what the tax rate in Benton County will be as these will be discussed with the implementation of the Advisory Council and Board of Supervisors approval.

Benton Co EMS Association President, Anna Demuth says, "This is BIG for Benton Co, most citizens in Benton Co are not aware that EMS does not receive tax funding, and most are surprised to learn an ambulance is not guaranteed when they call 911." She states, "a lot of work has been done getting to this point (declaration of EMS to be an essential service) by the EMS Association and committees, but a lot more work is to be had educating the public as to WHY they need to vote in favor of this come the November elections."

"The EMS profession in Benton County made a big step forward today with the support of our supervisors. Emergency medical services IS essential to our communities, and it is a necessity that it (EMS) stays within our community as we will only grow as medical conditions become more complex. We are thankful for the support of our supervisors, and hope that the path has been paved to allow for more funding and support going forward" said Blairstown Service Director, Mindy Fisher.


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