Harris Twp.: Looking for full-time EMS workers

With Harris Township voters approving additional millage for emergency medical service, the township trustees plan to put together a benefits package to attract prospective full-time personnel to staff the department.
Voters overwhelmingly approved a 4.5-mill levy Tuesday as a renewal and an additional 4 mills to fund the service, according to unofficial results from the Ottawa County board of elections; 894 for to
461 against.
“The community has always supported the fire department and EMS,” said Beverly Haar, who chairs the board of trustees. “I wasn’t too surprised it passed but I was really relieved it did because I know it is a big increase. But it was necessary because the only reason our money is stretching right now is we haven’t been able to fill the schedule. There are not enough EMS people applying to work and not enough volunteers.”
She said the department has had to rely on a mutual assistance agreement with neighboring departments as a result of the personnel situation and that lengthens response times.
“We’ve tried incentives and other ideas our EMS director has come up with to attract more part time people so we can continue filling the way he had been in the past,” Haar said. “But it just isn’t enough. We can’t fill the roster that way. Nobody wants to pay more taxes, myself included, but if we want to have our EMS coverage we’re kind of stuck.”
The department has an ambulance on order but the trustees have been allocating funds for it and won’t need to use revenues from the additional millage for the purchase.
The levy is in effect for five years.
Township voters first approved it in 2013 to provide 24/7 EMS coverage. The levy was renewed in 2017.