Butler County EMS Director Frank Williams told commissioners during the July 8 budget workshop that call volume has risen steadily over the last decade and that the department is seeing surges that strain available units and delay responses.

Williams said calls are up about 9% year-to-date and transport volume has climbed about 31% over the last 10 years. He described operational consequences: longer unit-hour utilization, increased time on task when crews must travel farther for hospital transfers, and increasingly frequent periods when all county ambulances are committed (status 0/1). Williams said surge capacity is limited "right now" and the department has little slack to absorb multi-patient incidents.

To respond, Williams proposed adding a dedicated training lieutenant (an office-based FTE focused on countywide EMS training and regulatory compliance) to reduce workload on field training officers and support training for nearly 80 certified EMS providers across fire districts. Staff estimated the additional position would cost about $66,000 (the figure used in preliminary estimates) and acknowledged benefits and payroll-related costs would raise the all-in number into the roughly $70,000'00,000 range depending on benefit elections.

Williams also reiterated the department's plan to add a seventh ambulance in 2027 to improve coverage and said he is exploring options such as limited 12-hour shift schedules at specific stations as a retention tool for employees dealing with childcare and work-life constraints. He and commissioners discussed recruitment challenges: nearby employers and hospitals offering higher pay, and differing retirement/benefit packages such as KPER/KP&F that influence turnover. Williams said training and recruitment costs are substantial: he estimated the county's cost to train an EMT or paramedic can exceed $60,000 when the full cost of instruction, field training and equipment is included.

Williams asked the commission to consider the training lieutenant as a budget priority and to note the department's revenue improvements that partially offset operating costs; county staff said they are forecasting fee-for-service revenue growth of roughly $100,000 for 2026. No formal action was taken; commissioners asked staff to include the position and equipment needs in upcoming budget materials for formal consideration.

Ending: The department will refine cost estimates for the proposed training post and the 2027 ambulance and return to the commission with details as part of the formal budget process.