NICKERSON, Kan. — The termination of a more than 35-year-old agreement between Nickerson EMS and Reno County is part of the consent agenda for the Board of County Commissioners at their meeting on Wednesday.
According to agenda documents, in 1987, the city of Nickerson and the Reno County Board of County Commissioners, acting as the governing body of Fire District 3, agreed to Nickerson EMS providing first response EMS services to Fire District 3.
The agreement then said that when available, Nickerson EMS would respond in tandem with Reno County EMS to the territory in Fire District 3 to provide first response medical aid. Nickerson EMS is not a transporting EMS service; this means Reno County EMS is still required to respond to all medical emergencies.
For each call Nickerson EMS responds to, the fire district is responsible to reimburse the Nickerson EMS $75.00.
In June, at the request of the Nickerson Mayor, Emergency Management, Reno County Fire District 3, the County Administrator, and County Counselor met and discussed the agreement. At that meeting, the Nickerson Mayor presented the termination of the agreement.
When the agreement is terminated, Nickerson EMS would only respond inside the Nickerson city limits. With the limited response that Nickerson EMS provides, all in attendance were in agreement with the termination of the EMS agreement.
As it currently stands, Fire District 3 is the only district that pays for additional first response services. District 3 will continue to provide first response medical services on the most acute medical calls.
Emergency Management, Fire District 3, and Reno County EMS believes there will be no impact to the medical services provided in Fire District 3.
The recommendation is to terminate the agreement effective September 1.
The Board of County Commissioners meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Veterans Room at the Reno County Courthouse.
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