LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. — The Dearborn County Council approved $3 million in new annual funding for struggling EMS units in an attempt to hire more EMTs, increase their pay and improve emergency services.
The funds, approved Tuesday night, come from a .2% local income tax that started in January.
"We can do better for the citizens of Dearborn County," county councilman Tim Doll said. "We are just trying to provide a road map to make that happen."
National experts say EMS services in many rural areas — especially those that depend on volunteers — have been struggling to provide the care their residents need during an emergency.
The funding provides $175,200 for each EMS unit in Dearborn County to spend on staffing. That's enough money to hire at least three EMTs, according to local EMS officials.
The Sunman Area Life Squad in Ripley County will receive $70,000. Sunman regularly responds to calls in Dearborn County, according to 911 records.
The budget includes a combined $911,745 for discretionary expenses.
It also provides a total of $591,855 to the Aurora and Bright EMS units to help them buy new ambulances.
"It's not necessarily going to fix all the problems, but it's a great start," Bright Fire and EMS Chief Kendall Eberhart told the I-Team. "It's making it a lot easier to go out and employ people."
County officials said the differences in discretionary funding are based on several factors, including the number of emergency calls and the population served by EMS units.
The nonprofit Bright department, which serves nearly 30% of the county population, according to county officials, will receive $237,054 in discretionary funds.
That's the highest amount of discretionary money given to an EMS unit.
The nonprofit Aurora unit will get $191,466.
The Lawrenceburg EMS Department — a municipal government unit that receives funding from the city — will get $182,349 in county discretionary funds.
The nonprofit EMS departments in Greendale, Manchester and Moores Hill will each receive $100,292 in discretionary money.
The nonprofit Dillsboro Emergency Ambulance Unit isn't guaranteed any money in the budget.
An ongoing I-Team investigation revealed extensive problems at the Dillsboro unit in 2023.
According to 911 records, the unit responded to 12% of the calls made by community residents.
"If we had the EMTs and we had the funding, you wouldn't have a problem making runs," Dillsboro Capt. Harry Witteride told the Dearborn County Council on Tuesday. "You're trying to shut the Dillsboro unit down."
Dillsboro's share of funding for hiring EMTs will be given — at least temporarily — to the EMS units in Aurora and Moore's Hill because they respond to nearly all of Dillsboro's calls, according to county officials.
If Dillsboro works out a new contract with the county, they can get that money and hire EMTs, county officials told the I-Team.
Dillsboro's future may be uncertain, but other EMS units said this funding should help them provide better and faster emergency care.
