The Ukiah Daily Journal, Calif.
(TNS)
At its next meeting Wednesday, the Ukiah City Council is scheduled to hear a report on the efforts of the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority to train more personnel as paramedics.
According to the staff report prepared for the Feb. 19 meeting by Battalion Chief Eric Singleton, the UVFA previously requested “$42,600 for the training of two Ukiah Valley Fire Authority team members (at Pelham Paramedic School in Indiana) as part of our ongoing efforts to maintain adequate paramedic staffing to ensure high-quality emergency medical services for the community.”
The report further explains that “in accordance with Coastal Valley’s Emergency Medical Services Agency regulations, Advanced Life Services response requires the presence of a paramedic on the scene, and the UVFA currently staffs three paramedics per shift to meet this requirement.”
However, the “UVFA has been facing a shortage of paramedics, resulting in increased overtime expenditures to backfill positions and ensure ALS coverage. This challenge, exacerbated by the nationwide decline in interest in emergency medical careers and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on training programs, has necessitated innovative solutions to maintain adequate staffing levels.”
Previously, Singleton notes, UVFA personnel “have attended a local paramedic training program that spans approximately 18 to 24 months… (but) the extended duration of this program contributes to ongoing overtime costs associated with covering shifts for personnel in training.”
As an alternative, the UVFA “identified an alternative paramedic training program through Pelham Training University in Indiana (which) offers an accelerated five-month course (that) significantly reduces the time required for personnel to become certified paramedics, (both) expediting the availability of trained paramedics and mitigating the costs related to extended overtime expenditures and workforce fatigue.”
The UVFA notes that it “initially utilized this program last year, successfully training and certifying two team members, (and) the current expenditure supports an additional two team members who commenced training in January 2025 and are expected to complete the program by April 2025, returning as fully licensed paramedics. While the upfront cost of this program is comparable to the local option, the shorter training duration significantly reduces overall costs associated with overtime and shift coverage.”
Staff conclude the report by noting that no council action is required, as “this expenditure has already been approved in the current budget.”
Also at the Feb. 19 meeting, other city staff members are requesting that the council approve their recruitment of a “Parks and Streets Operations Superintendent Position.”
According to the staff report prepared for the meeting, “the city of Ukiah maintenance crews cover a broad array of services, (and any one of its) teams may be tasked with trimming trees, pouring concrete, digging trenches, or performing minor carpentry tasks among other activities. While the Parks and Streets teams have traditionally been separated, they are both General Fund divisions and many municipalities combine these teams into a single working unit.”
The report notes that “combining the teams would provide the opportunity for improved collaboration and … a combined workforce allows for individual workers to develop sub-specialties consistent with the individual’s aptitudes and interests, while acknowledging that many will prefer the variety of the work. For many employees, the opportunity to increase the variability in the scope of work will be seen as a good thing. Both Parks and Streets teams have been apprised of the possible merger and there has been no significant opposition.”
Therefore, “staff recommends that council approve the creation of a new and expanded ‘Superintendent’ position to oversee the operations of the Parks and Streets teams. The position will be subject to the Management Unit Memorandum of Understanding, with a recommended salary equivalent to other similar positions within the Unit ($95,033.50 – $115,513.80/year).”
The Ukiah City Council meeting will begin at 5:15 p.m. Feb. 19, and can be attended at both the Council Chambers located at 300 Seminary Avenue in Ukiah, or online via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84273040775
Alternatively, you may view the meeting (without participating) by clicking on the name of the meeting at: www.cityofukiah.com/meetings.
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