To the average citizen, prompt, effective emergency medical care would seem like an essential service.

But in Iowa, emergency medical services are not an essential service in the legal sense in the way that fire protection and law enforcement are.

On Tuesday, the Webster County Board of Supervisors continued its effort to make EMS essential in the county.

The board unanimously approved the second reading of a measure declaring EMS an essential service. The measure must be approved once more by the board.

If it wins final approval, the matter will be placed before the voters in a referendum. The voters will also be asked to approve a tax to support EMS.

EMS as an essential service would have to be approved by a 60 percent majority in the referendum, according to County Attorney Darren Driscoll.

In Webster County, ambulance service is provided by the Fort Dodge Fire Department, Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service in Gowrie, the Dayton Rescue Squad and Vincent Fire Department. The Fort Dodge Fire Department is the only agency with paid personnel. It is also the only paramedic level ambulance service.

Additionally, the volunteer fire departments in Badger, Callender, Clare, Duncombe, Moorland and Otho serve as emergency medical first responders that provide care before the ambulance arrives, but do not transport patients.

“We need to come up with a way to do a better job in the southern end of the county,” Supervisor Bob Thode said.

Compounding the problem is the difficulty in recruiting volunteer emergency medical technicians.

“Volunteerism doesn’t seem to be what it used to be,” Fort Dodge Assistant Fire Chief Matt Price told the board.

Dan Hanson, a member of the Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service Board of Directors, said the agency used to have 32 crew members. Now it has 12.

Price said that when the Fort Dodge Fire Department has to respond in place of one of the volunteer units there are “significant response times,” especially to the southeast end of the county.

Supervisor Mark Campbell said the county has “amazing” emergency medical personnel.

“Our goal is to make this sustainable going forward,” he said.