Budget Request to the City of Waynesboro, Virginia.
To provide adequate funding of EMS volunteer retention,
Training and marketing
Background
The Waynesboro First Aid Crew
(WFAC) is a volunteer/career combination non-profit organization that provides
emergency medical services to the city of Waynesboro and the surrounding areas
of Augusta County.
WFAC participates in revenue recovery;
however this only recovers a 65% of the cost associated with providing a
reliable, 24 hour 911 emergency medical response, treatment and transport
system.
Operating shortfalls are partially
offset by donations and contributions from the community, Donors, Subscriptions,
the State of Virginia through 4-for-life funds and the City of Waynesboro.
The effect of the shortfall has
been a steady decline in the resources available to properly sustain volunteer
marketing, training and retention. The cycle thus begins with declining
volunteer numbers and the necessity of hiring more paid staff to provide
adequate service, and increasing operating costs.
The Code of Virginia 15.2-955, 1, B
as amended states” Each locality shall seek to ensure that emergency medical
services are maintained throughout the entire locality.”
The Code of Virginia 32.1-111.3
requires the Virginia Office of EMS to develop a comprehensive plan to improve
the effectiveness and efficiency of the State EMS system. This has been
accomplished by the publication of the VAOEMS State Strategic and Operational
Plan. Several of the strategic initiatives in that plan pertain directly to the
issues currently faced: Community based initiatives to increase recruitment and
retention of EMS providers (Strategic Initiative 1.2.2), Develop, implement and
promote a comprehensive recruitment and retention campaign for EMS personnel
(Strategic Initiative 3.2.1) and Educate local government officials and
communities about the value of a high quality EMS system (Strategic Initiative
3.5.3)
Current state of relationship
The city of Waynesboro supports the
activities of the WFAC in a number of ways; provision of various city benefits
to volunteer and career staff, communications infrastructure and dispatching,
and annual contributions (currently $37,000). WFAC assists the City with
various expenses as well; repayment for volunteer incentives provided by the
city ($12,000), EMS supplies for the Waynesboro Fire Department (WFD)
($10,000), and EMS equipment maintenance for WFD ($3,000). Effectively, the
City contribution offsets less than 1/10th of 1% (.008% or $12,000) of
operating expenses.
WFAC pays all of its own payroll
and operating costs, as well as capital outlays for new equipment, and
apparatus saving the City millions of dollars annually. Volunteers contribute over
18,000 hours (18,226 hrs.), or the equivalent of 6.2 full-time city public
safety workers a year. This amounts to another $275,000+ savings to the city.
Desired goals
This budget request seeks to
increase the level of support provided by the City of Waynesboro to its primary
911 EMS service agency, the Waynesboro First Aid Crew. It also seeks to educate
the public and local officials about the environment and desired goals of the
organization. It is reasonable to have the contribution provided by the City directly
linked to some objective measure reflecting the value of the organization to
the community and local government rather than a purely arbitrary and
insufficient amount. A contribution of 50% of the minimum wage value of the
volunteer hours provided by WFAC members ($84,000), for the sole purpose of
funding marketing, training and retention programs for the volunteers of the
organization is a realistic consideration. In addition to this modest
contribution the city should absorb the cost of materials and services provided
to the WFD and the cost of tax incentives to volunteers.
Budget requests
1. Objectively
link the City of Waynesboro contribution for primary 911 emergency medical
services provided by the Waynesboro First Aid Crew to the value of the
volunteers to the City and community.
The City of Waynesboro shall provide an
annual contribution to the Waynesboro First aid Crew equal to 50% of documented
volunteer hours at minimum wage x 1.27; which represents one-half the value of
a minimum wage employee, including payroll taxes.
2. The
City of Waynesboro will absorb the cost of EMS supplies and equipment
maintenance currently provided to the Waynesboro Fire Department by the
Waynesboro First Aid crew.
The City of Waynesboro shall assume
financial responsibility for all expenses incurred by the Waynesboro Fire
Department, any supplies, services or maintenance provided by the Waynesboro
First Aid Crew will be reimbursed by the City of Waynesboro.
3. The
City of Waynesboro will absorb the cost of tax incentives to volunteers,
acknowledging the value of their contribution to the City and the community.
The City of Waynesboro will continue to
provide tax incentives to active volunteers of the Waynesboro First Aid Crew
without the expectation that these funds will be reimbursed by the Waynesboro
First Aid Crew.
4. The
city of Waynesboro will provide a modest contribution to offset the cost of
Marketing Volunteerism, recruitment and retention that reflects the value of
the organization and Volunteers.
The city of Waynesboro will provide a
monetary contribution to the Waynesboro First Aid Crew to adequately support a
multi-faceted Marketing program for the purpose of public education and
volunteer recruitment and retention.
Expected outcome & benefit to city
It is in the interest of the
citizens, the community, and the City of Waynesboro to promote the success of
the Waynesboro First Aid Crew. The organization provides an essential public
service, saves the taxpayers money, and is an integral part of the social
infrastructure of the community. With the cooperation and support of the City
of Waynesboro the Waynesboro First Aid Crew will be able to more adequately
market the value of volunteers, recruit new volunteers and increase volunteer
participation within the community. Existing volunteers will be adequately
supported, trained and promoted, increasing morale and participation. With a
strong volunteer base the organization will be able to control expansion of
career staff and remain financially viable well into the future.
Being proactive in the support of a
quality EMS system for the City of Waynesboro will satisfy the requirements of
State Code and the comply with several of the objectives of the Virginia Office
of Emergency Medical Services Strategic and Operational Plan. Demonstrating a
cooperative attitude toward solving these national, regional and local problems
will put Waynesboro in a position of leadership on these issues.
Conclusion
The City of Waynesboro has the
opportunity to more adequately fund its primary EMS response agency, the
Waynesboro First Aid Crew, by providing an objective contribution that
minimally represents the value of the organization to the community. Doing so
will have a dramatic and positive effect on the ability of the organization to
attract and support volunteers from the community willing to provide this vital
public service. The end result will be a vital and sustainable organization
that cost the City a fraction of the cost of operating a similar organization
as a separate municipal entity or expanding the services of others.
References:
Code of Virginia, 15.2-955 1, B
Code of Virginia, 32.1-111.3
Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services, Strategic and
Operational Plan 2012-2013
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