EMS Planners

EMS Planner Team Summary

Kicked off January with a virtual meeting with the Bureau followed by an in-person planner and Bureau working session. The team has been busy setting the foundation for the project as it relates to the Bureau’s vision and the project’s scope of work. These initial working sessions have also been followed by one (virtual) planner working session. Primary topics have revolved around the identified EMS system and environmental scan to be completed within each county.

Data for this scan is intended to be obtained through the Bureau’s IGEMS (Idaho’s Gateway for EMS) database (2021-2022 data), supplemented by individual EMS agency data from 2015-2022 calendar years. This data will be gathered by independent research from each planner, and through multiple interview sessions with each EMS agency and respective county representatives. Both subjective and objective data will be gathered, and each planner will lay the framework toward building their county’s plan document. These plans are intended to be county focused and not individual agency focused. Identifying system sustainability needs related to demand, coverage, workforce, resources/capital, and generalized finances will need to be included.

The planner team has scheduled weekly virtual working sessions to maintain regular communications as this project gains speed and finalizes its data needs and processes. Additional in-person working sessions are anticipated (with one scheduled for March), allowing for direct project discussions and data dissection.

Looking into February, planner team outreach is underway with the scheduling of initial stakeholder interviews. In the upcoming months, efforts will be focused towards data gathering. As the team finalizes its data benchmarks, direct countywide information will help drive the EMS system/environmental scan. This will help outline the demand, coverage, and financial gaps that exist within each county’s system.

EMS Planner Team Summary

The planner team has been off to a strong start, both within their individual AORs and collectively as a project team. Individually, each planner is approaching counties and individual agencies within their AOR in a manner that is most productive for them. Some planners are taking a broad approach by connecting with all stakeholders at once, while others are focusing on a county-by-county or stakeholder audience. The variety of approaches means that some stakeholder interviews are being conducted virtually, individually in-person, and/or formal settings as an agenda item during a commissioner meeting. The end goal for each planner is to connect and establish a working relationship with each stakeholder that promotes conversation and information sharing. One of the challenges identified by some of the planners has been making an initial connection. Individual emails have been sent to various identified agency contacts and county officials, but follow-up has not always been received. This serves as a gentle reminder to verify that your agency contact information is up-to-date with the Bureau's license management system (IGEMS). Please check your email inbox and possibly the spam/junk folder if you are identified as the agency’s contact. If your agency or county has not been contacted with an introductory email as of yet, please refer to the Bureau’s website (www. idahoems. org>EMS Sustainability Task Force> EMS Planners Site) to identify your AOR’s planner and to reach out to establish that connection.

Collectively, the planners have continued to meet weekly to focus their attention toward the identified EMS system/environmental scan data elements. Toward the middle of the month, construction of a surveying tool began in an effort to facilitate the collection of large-scale information and to supplement direct stakeholder interviews. This tool and its contents will continue to be refined. The Bureau and additional EMS entities will need to approve this survey tool in early to mid-March. From there, it will be introduced to EMS agencies as a means to collect data relevant to this project, allowing planners to compare findings from all counties in one centralized platform. This county-focused data (not necessarily agency-specific data) will be used to construct each county's plan in the upcoming months.

Looking into March the planner team will continue to:

• Meet weekly to discuss project progress and data tracking items
• Attend an in-person working session
• Engage in EMS committee/task force meetings

Planners will focus their initial efforts toward completing their county-focused EMS system/environmental scans throughout March, April, and into May while drafting county plans nearing May and June.

North AOR:

Met with Kootenai EMS, Kootenai Fire, Bonner County Commissioners Precinct 3, Schweitzer Fire Department, and Bonner General Hospital.
- Rescheduling visits with Latah County and Bonner due to weather.

North Central AOR:

Met with Lewiston Fire, Riggins/Salmon River Ambulance District, Association of Counties, Winchester QRU, McCall Fire, Donnelly Rural Fire, Payette County, Lowell QRU, and Valley County Commissioners.

Southwest AOR:

Met with Camas County Ambulance, Ada County, Acute Rescue, Parma Ambulance, Elmore Ambulance, Garden Valley Fire District, Gowen Field Fire Department, Prairie QRU, Orchard Fire District, and Ada County Commissioners.

South Central AOR:

Met with Hagerman Fire, Blaine County Medical Director, Minidoka Memorial, Minidoka Fire Protection District, Burley Fire Department, Blaine County Commissioners, and Sun Valley Fire Department.

Southeast AOR:

Met with Swan Valley Fire and Rescue, Shelley Firth QRU, Idaho Falls Fire Department, Fort Hall Fire and EMS, Blackfoot Fire Department, Star Valley Ambulance (Wyoming), Bannock County Ambulance, and a medical director.

East AOR:

Met with Clark County EMS, Fremont County EMS, Central Fire/EMS, Madison County Fire/EMS, Teton County Fire and Rescue.

EMS Planner Team Summary

During the month of March, EMS Planners have continued their progress connecting with EMS agency administrators and county officials in a variety of virtual and in-person formats. The team continued to meet virtually on a weekly basis to discuss project progress, the survey/data gathering tool, and the construction of a final report. They later met in-person to finalize some of these components and to pave the way for the next two months of work.

Throughout this project, the planners have collaborated on the development of the survey/data gathering tool. This tool was intended to collect information at the EMS agency and county level that could be compiled into a statewide data source. The data collected in addition to the completion of an environmental scan for each Idaho county will provide information at an agency level to aid in forming a county-focused overview of their EMS system. The planners have revised the name of the survey/data tool, County EMS Resource Assessment, to reflect the intent more accurately. The collective assessments, formerly referred to as county plans, will shape the construction and content of a statewide document now titled EMS in Idaho: A County-Focused Resource Assessment. Roll-out of the County EMS Resource Assessment (survey tool) will be conducted by each planner in the month of April.

Additional planner efforts for the month of March included: formalization of an outline for the final report which will include the findings from the county focused resource assessments; compiling a running list of operational concerns identified during outreach efforts which could influence future EMS Sustainability Task Force initiatives and efforts; and individual planner progress (outreach and information gathering) within each area of responsibility (AOR).

Moving forward, the planners will be shifting their focus towards compiling and analyzing data collected from the County EMS Resource Assessments, then integrating the data into the final report. Their next in-person working session is in May. They will discuss next steps, report construction, revision, and the review process. Planners encourage all stakeholders in their respective AORs to contact them if new ideas, concepts, or suggestions should arise in between scheduled meetings and site visits.

Planners also continue to “brainstorm” lists which will help to outline the greater needs of agencies and counties throughout the state and will be discussed in the process of developing the final “EMS in Idaho” report.

North AOR:

Met with Moscow Fire Department, Genesee Fireman Association, Troy Volunteer Ambulance, Deary Ambulance, Potlatch Fire and EMS, J-K Ambulance, Boundary County Ambulance Association, Shoshone County EMS/Fire District #2, Clearwater County EMS

North Central AOR:

Survey discussions with Lewiston Fire, Kamiah Fire/EMS, Ada County Paramedics, St. Luke’s Health System, Syringa Hospital, Payette County Paramedics, Krassel Ranger District, Donnelly Rural Fire, and Cascade Rural Fire.

Southwest AOR:

Met with Gem County Fire and EMS, Frontline EMS, county commissioners in Camas and Gem counties, Wilderness Ranch Fire Protection District, Victory EMS, and a county clerk in Owyhee county.

South Central AOR:

Met with Ketchum Fire Department, Wood River Fire and Rescue, Declo QRU, Cassia County Medical Director, Intermountain Cassia Hospital Paramedics, Lincoln County EMS, and Twin Falls Fire Department.

Southeast AOR:

Met with North Bannock Fire and Rescue, Chubbuck Fire and Rescue, Oneida County EMS, Franklin County EMS, Caribou County EMS, Bear Lake County EMS, county commissioners, and medical directors. Lena attended the EIRMC and Air Methods conference.

East AOR:

Met with Lemhi County EMS, Challis Ambulance – North Custer Hospital District, Stanley Ambulance, Mud Lake Ambulance, Lost River EMTs, Teton County Search and Rescue, and Teton County Fire/Rescue.  Bob attended the EIRMC and Air Methods conference.

Bob (East AOR) and Lena (Southeast AOR) had an EMS Sustainability Planning Team table at the EIRMC/Air Methods EMS Conference in Idaho Falls on Saturday March 4th. There were over 300 EMS personnel in attendance and the planners made contact with EMT's, agency administrators, and colleagues

EMS Planner Team Summary

At this point in the project, nearly all registered EMS agencies have had some form of either virtual or in-person engagement with their designated planner and is greatly appreciated by the planner team! Each planner has also dispersed the County EMS Resource Assessment (survey) links to each registered EMS agency and encouraged their participation, regardless of their operational model (i.e., 911 response/transport, 911 response/non-transport, IFT/critical care, wildfire, industrial). Participation in this assessment will help to validate the data reported by the planners and, ultimately, help legislators and local government representatives make informed decisions related to supporting and promoting their local EMS system’s sustainability.

The team met virtually to discuss current findings, continued planning for their county-focused resource assessment reports, and to review the Bureau’s data-gathering and reporting software, which will aid in visually presenting relevant data. Various planner team members have also been attending local EMS conference/symposium engagements and have fielded questions and ideas from EMS providers throughout the state.

Nearing the half-way point in the overall project, the planners will be meeting in-person again in May to largely discuss the progress of their County EMS Resource Assessment (survey) data and findings, as well as to discuss any next steps related to constructing their county-focused reports. From here, each planner will begin shifting their attention from information gathering and data analysis toward report writing and content development. It is our team’s goal to present some of our informal mutual findings to the EMS Sustainability Task Force and the Bureau as we enter summer months. These findings will aid the Bureau in developing legislative language for the upcoming session.

North AOR

Mix of virtual and in-person stakeholder engagements including Priest Lake EMTs, Moscow Fire Department, Harrison Ambulance, Clearwater County EMS, Benewah County EMS, and St. Joes QRU. The environmental scan/EMS County resource assessment is nearly 80% completed and the draft plan 40% complete. Continuing to consolidate interview and assessment materials and follow up questions to align with survey tools.

North Central AOR

In person meetings with stakeholders consisting of Lewiston Fire, Kamiah Fire/EMS, Weiser Ambulance, Payette Fire/EMS, Cambridge Ambulance, Syringa Hospital Payette County Paramedics, Payette National Forest – Krassel Ranger District, Valley Ambulance, Cascade Rural Fire, Idaho Association of Counties, Midvale Ambulance, Elk City Ambulance, McCall Fire/EMS, Donnelly Fire/EMS, Brundage Ski Patrol, Tamarack Ski Patrol, Council Ambulance, Lowell QRU, Winchester QRU, St. Mary’s Hospitals, Nezperce Ambulance, PACT EMS, Kooskia Ambulance, and Riggins Ambulance. Focused on interviews and data collection. The environmental scan/EMS county resource assessment nearly 80% complete with the draft plan being 50% complete.

Southwest AOR

Met with MRQ QRU, Bruneau QRU, TVEMSS/Canyon County EMS, Boise County, Classic Air Medical, Intermountain Healthcare, and Injury Care EMS. The environmental scan/EMS county resource assessment has been dispersed to all registered agencies and future onsite meetings will be scheduled into June. The environmental scan/EMS county resource assessment is nearly 80% complete with the draft plan 30% complete.

South Central AOR

Met with Hagerman Fire, Wendell QRU, Gooding Fire, Bliss Fire, Gooding County EMS, and Gooding medical director. Also attended the TSE Council meeting and met with Best Practice, a private company in Montana to discuss who provides EMS and guidance for rural EMS/Critical access hospital integration. The environmental scan/EMS county resource assessment is nearly 70% completed with the draft plan 30% complete.

Southeast AOR

Met with Power County EMS, Bingham County EMS, Bingham County Commissioner, Bear Lake EMS, Idaho National Laboratory, Bannock County Commissioner, Franklin County Commissioner, Bear Lake County Commissioner, and Idaho Falls Fire Department. The environmental scan/EMS County Resource assessment is nearly 90% completed with the draft plan 30% complete. Currently planning a regional summit in the fall for Southeast and East AORs in conjunction with TSE with the intent to prompt collaboration amongst agencies!

East AOR

Met with Mud Lake medical director, Teton medical director, Custer County Ambulance medical director, Teton county fire commissioners, EMS mental health peers, EMS instructors, and EMS suppliers. The EMS County Resource assessment is nearly 90% complete with 50% of the draft plan complete.

EMS Planner Team Summary

In May, planners transitioned from Phase-I of the project (information gathering) to the beginning of Phase-II (report construction). During this time, the Planner’s EMS County Resource Assessment (survey) was dispersed to all registered EMS agencies and identified EMS system entities throughout the state.

The Planners have transitioned much of their focus toward developing their county-focused resource assessment documents and clarifying any comments or data points from agencies who submitted a resource assessment.

Throughout May, the Planner team met in-person to walk through the outline construction for the collective county-focused resource reports, as well as to attend the monthly Sustainability Task Force meeting. As large-scale information has now been gathered by the Planner team, a high-level review is also being planned in hopes that some key trends/themes and talking points can be presented to the Bureau and Task Force in the month of June.

Looking toward the immediate future, it is imperative that any EMS agency that wishes to connect with their respective Planner (if they have not done so already) communicates with them as soon as possible! Your agency’s information, successes, challenges, and voice are necessary for this project – and your Planner is certainly interested in hearing from you!

North AOR

Wrapped up assessment (survey) and validated stakeholder input through in-person follow sessions in all seven counties. Began drafting county plans (reports) and discussed proofing and editing process for each county plan (report). The environmental scan for the North AOR is 100% complete and 70% done with the plan (report) draft. 

In person follow up consisted of following entities: Moscow Fire Department, Schweitzer Fire Department, Clearwater County EMS, Clark Fork Valley Ambulance, Dear Ambulance, Genesee Ambulance, Potlach Ambulance, Troy Ambulance, Boundary Ambulance J-K Ambulance, Kootenai County EMS System, and Harrison Community Ambulance.

North Central AOR

Focused on assessment (survey) loose ends and reached out to county commissioners. Agency engagement rate is nearly 91%. A small amount of agencies want to converse rather than complete the assessment. The environmental scan is 100% complete with 60% of the draft plan (report) completed.

Outreach and communication consisted of the following entities: Valley County Commissioner, Riggins Ambulance, Syringa Hospital, Idaho Association of Counties, Payette County Commissioner, Lewis County Commissioner, Nez Perce County Commissioner, Adams County Commissioner, Idaho County Commissioner, Culdesac QRU, Kooskia Ambulance, and Glenwood Caribel QRU

Southwest AOR

Met with the planner for an in-person working session and wrapped up initial virtual interviews. 100% of the agencies licensed with the Bureau were reached out but 57% participated with the assessment (survey). The environmental scan is 100% complete with 40% of the plan (report) completed.

Outreach and communication consisted of the following entities: Atlanta QRU, East Boise County Ambulance, Air St. Luke’s, and Grand View Ambulance.

South Central AOR

Connected with two unresponsive agencies, focused on creating plans (reports), and reached out to county commissioners regarding the assessment (survey). The environmental scan is 100% complete with 40% of the draft plan (report) complete.

Outreach and communication consisted of the following entities: Dietrich QRU, Carey Fire and Rescue, several county commissioners.

Southeast AOR

Focused on assessment (survey) results, began drafting plans, and working with the planners on a format for the final report. The environmental scan is 90% complete with 30% of the draft plan (report) completed.

Continued outreach and communication with the following entities: Bear Lake County Fire Department, Bear Lake County Commissioner, North Bannock Fire District, Chief for Star Valley, Bear Lake County Ambulance, Bingham County EMS, Downey Ambulance Coordinator, and a medical director.

East AOR

Reviewed report formats, continued data organization, and report writing. The environmental scan is 100% complete, with 50% of the draft plan (report) complete, and 20% of the after-action plan complete.

Continued outreach and communication with the following entities: North Custer Ambulance, Custer Hospital District, US Forest Service, Idaho Guides Association, Fremont County Commissioner, Central Fire, South Custer Ambulance, North Custer County Hospital District, Teton County Commissioners, Teton County Search and Rescue, Teton County Fire and Rescue, and Teton County Fire and Rescue Commissioners.

EMS Planner Team Summary

Throughout the month of June, the Planner team shifted their focus toward drafting their county-focused reports based on the findings from the resource assessments. Many discussions have taken place to maintain document consistency, formulate an internal review process to proof each draft report, and draft a timeline to see each draft report to completion. Due to the project’s emphasis on creating county-focused reports (first), the Planner team will begin construction on a statewide synopsis section once the respective county drafts are completed.

Looking into July, much of the month’s focus will be placed on report completion so the review process can begin. Farther into the future, it is anticipated that the next few months will produce a similar focus, and more statewide information will become available as the Planner team combines their respective data and notes together.

North AOR

Completed interviews, validated survey input, and confirmed information from initial interviews. Five of seven county draft reports have been completed and will spend next month refining drafts toward final versions. A third round of site visits will take place to review the final draft reports with stakeholders to ensure information is presented accurately.

Communications and follow up took place with Gateway Fire Protection District, Shoshone County EMS/Fire District #2, and at the Idaho Association of Counties summer conference. The environmental scan is 100% complete and 80% of report drafts are complete.

North Central AOR

Continued to focus on report construction with one report complete and being reviewed and revised by the other planners. The remaining county reports are 50% complete (Valley, Adams, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Idaho).

Communications took place with County Commissioners. The environmental scan is 100% complete and 10% of the final report complete.

Southwest AOR

Coordinated with other planners on report construction and data analysis. The environmental scan is 100% complete with 70% of the county reports complete.

South Central AOR

Continued drafting county reports, spoke with Dietrich QRU, a County Commissioner, and attended the Cassia Regional EMS meeting.

The environmental scan is 90% complete, with 60% of the county reports complete, and 10% of the final report complete.

Southeast AOR

Drafted reports and three are ready for peer review. Reached out to search and rescues who had not yet responded and made contact with the following: Bannock County Search and Rescue, Bonneville County Search and Rescue, and Caribou County Sherriff’s office (to discuss dispatch process and search and rescue). The environmental scan is 90% complete with 50% of the county reports complete.

East AOR

Reviewed draft reports, consolidated the survey with the North Central AOR planner, and conducted Biospatial research.

Conversations took place with the following: Lemhi County EMS System, Mud Lake Ambulance, Central Fire, Air Methods, Eastern Region TSE, and the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association. The environmental scan is 100% complete, 50% of county reports are complete, and 10% of the final report is complete.

EMS Team Planner Summary

Throughout the month of July, the planner team has remained in “draft mode” by focusing their efforts toward their respective AOR county draft reports and by providing an initial review/edit of the team’s county draft report examples. Throughout this initial draft review process, report consistency remains a high priority throughout each county report in each AOR.

The team aims to create a consistent outline/format to ensure that each report section can be cross referenced across all 44 counties, while the information remains detailed and equitable. The process is very time consuming and detail intensive but is crucial toward creating a final product that can be compared across a large spectrum and followed by an audience ranging from EMS providers to elected officials. From here, it is the team’s intent to allow the EMS agencies in their AOR’s the opportunity to view the reports for content validity. This will likely occur toward the end of September.

North AOR

The majority of July was spent writing draft county reports. Upon the completion of the initial draft, EMS agency feedback was gathered from an in-person meeting with Moscow Volunteer Fire and EMS to review content and design. Time was also spent working with other planners to refine report format and content.

Both the draft reports and environmental scan are 100% complete.

North Central AOR

The month of July was entirely dedicated to completing county report drafts and initial review. Payette, Washington, Adams, Valley, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Idaho Counties are all complete DRAFT documents. The first two weeks in August will be dedicated to refinement and peer review.

Both the draft reports and environmental scan are 100% complete.

Southwest AOR

Spent the month of July focusing on draft county reports and collaborating with the planners on constructing and reviewing final documents. On site trips to discuss project updates and specific agency items were held with the following: Parma Ambulance, Elmore Ambulance, Marsing Ambulance, and Grand View Ambulance. Next month will be focused on finalizing reports.

Both the draft reports and environmental scan are 100% complete.

South Central AOR

Nearly finished drafting county reports and followed up with the following: Cassia/Intermountain Paramedics, Minidoka EMS, Magic Valley St. Luke’s, Gooding EMS, and Lincoln EMS.

Draft reports are 75%-95% complete along with the environmental scan being 100% complete.

Southeast AOR

July was dedicated to finishing draft county reports and speaking to agencies that were initially hard to track down. Additional communications took place with the following agencies: Acute Rescue, Monsanto Fire and Rescue, Caribou County Search and Rescue, Chubbuck Fire Department, and Bingham County Search and Rescue.

Both the draft reports and environmental scan are 100% complete.

East AOR

The month consisted of report writing, report research, and follow up communication with Lost River EMTs, Clark County Ambulance, and Fremont County EMS. Also attended a Time Sensitive Emergencies meeting and a local Idaho Fire Association of Fire Chief’s meeting.

The draft reports are 60% complete along with the environmental scan being 100% complete.

EMS Team Planner Summary

Throughout the month of August, the Planner team has remained in “draft mode” by focusing their efforts toward their respective AOR county drafts and by providing a continued review/edit of other team member’s county draft reports. Proceeding the initial draft review, various revisions were identified as well as different writing styles amongst the six authors. To maintain a level of report consistency, these were addressed throughout each county report.

September and October will be focused on the following: finalizing the reports, collecting feedback from the Bureau and EMS agency stakeholders, and incorporating the feedback into the reports.

North AOR

August was focused on revising drafts and working with other members of the planning team on report formatting. Began scheduling agency review of reports during the month of September. Both the environmental scan and draft plans are 100% complete. The final plan is approximately 30% completed.

North Central AOR

This month was entirely dedicated to draft refinement and formatting of county reports. Payette, Washington, Adams, Valley, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Idaho counties are all complete draft documents. Both the environmental scan and draft plans are 100% complete. The final plan is approximately 60% completed.

Southwest AOR

Developed a plan for the planner peer review process for final draft report revisions. Both the environmental scan and draft plans are 100% complete.

South Central AOR

Completed drafting reports and prepared for planner review and discussion. The environmental scan is 100% complete, with the draft plans at 90%, and the final plan at 30% completion.

Southeast AOR

August was dedicated to revising draft reports and determining report format with other members of the planning team. Collaborated with other members of the task force to discuss opportunities for continuation of the project. Both the environmental scan and draft plans are 100% complete. The final plan is approximately 20% completed.

East AOR

Continued with report writing and research follow ups by meeting with Clark County Ambulance, Lost River EMTs, Custer Hospital District EMS, Lemhi Interfacility Transport, Idaho Fire Chiefs, Lemhi County EMS System, and Wyoming EMS Association. The environmental scan is 100% complete, with the draft plans at 90%, and the final plan at 50% completion.

Click here to see a map with the AORs and corresponding EMS agencies overlaid