Hesston Fire/EMS will undergo a major overhaul, and residents will see an improvement in service, thanks to a county grant as well as investment from the City of Hesston. That’s according to Hesston Fire/EMS Chief Russ Buller. He said the city council, following a Tuesday work session, gave the go-ahead for a plan that would allow two full-time staff members from the county. The additions would allow Hesston to staff its service for 24 hours per day, five days a week with full-time staff. Part-time staff, previously paid for call response, would be paid minimum wage for on-call hours. Previously, full-time staff worked from 8 a.m. to midnight on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and worked regular business hours Tuesday and Thursday. Gaps were filled by volunteers, technically part-time employees who would be on call and paid per response. “I really want to send the message that this is such an amazing step forward for us, not only from the standpoint that we’re able to put more full-time people into the system to serve the community but it’s going to speed our response time and make our department that much stronger and sustainable,” Buller said. The county grant allocation to Hesston for $140,000 was primarily directed to increase the amount of emergency medical technicians able to respond at various local departments. These employees will also be cross-trained to serve as firefighters, Buller said, also helping the department’s response to emergencies. Hesston Fire/EMS would increase its number to six full-time employees.
Source: Harvey County Now
