Webster County voters will determine today whether or not emergency medical services will be funded into the future.

The proposal for EMS as an essential service would fund transport agencies like the Dayton Rescue Squad, Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service, Fort Dodge Fire Department, and small community volunteer fire departments that serve as first responders through a dedicated tax of 75 cents per $1,000 of taxable property value.

The proposal must be approved by at least 60 percent of the people voting in order to go into effect.

Emergency medical services have historically never been funded in Iowa at the city, county, or state level. Instead, departments have relied on their fire department counterparts as well as donations and fundraising. A passing vote today would ensure that EMS is funded and able to continue responding to emergency calls.

“We’ve projected in working with the auditor’s office that this dedicated tax will raise about $1.6 million annually,” said Luke Hugghins, Badger Fire Department EMS coordinator. “Of that, the largest chunk will go towards the transport agencies that will be providing services in those areas.”

For Webster County property owners with an approximate taxable value of $115,000, they would pay $86.89 annually in taxes for EMS services.

Those with an approximate taxable value of $162,000 would pay $121.65 annually in taxes for EMS services.

Some rural departments may have to dissolve and there are also questions as to if there would be available ambulances and trained personnel to respond to emergencies both in rural Webster County and in Fort Dodge if the levy is not approved.

“This is not a new problem,” said Webster County Emergency Management Coordinator Dylan Hagen. “We’ve been working on funding options for quite awhile. The county just named EMS as an essential service and it also happens that we’re at a really important point of no return right now. If this doesn’t pass, we don’t know if or who will respond to emergency calls. Knowing that EMS is not an essential service here means that we may not get an ambulance or an EMS provider to respond when someone calls 911, and that’s scary.”

“I voted yes!” said state Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, in a Facebook post last Friday. “In 2021, the Iowa legislature passed a bill allowing a county board to pass an ordinance that EMS is an essential service so the people of a county could vote on an EMS levy. When you live in rural Iowa, the response time when you dial 911 can be a matter of life and death. Minutes matter when there is a medical emergency and I want to make sure our first responders have the resources they need to meet the challenges!”

Southwest Webster Emergency Medical Service, which serves the southwest quadrant of Webster County, took over the ambulance service from the City of Gowrie in the late 1970s, according to Dan Hanson, board director.

The 45-year-old agency currently has 12 to 14 volunteers with drivers and emergency medical technicians manning the ambulance service, which could potentially receive $215,000 annually if today’s vote passes. Those dollars would help the ambulance service with staffing and supplies for the basic life support (BLS) service that is provided to multiple communities in the quadrant including Gowrie, Harcourt, and Callender.

“This vote is so important,” said Hanson, who has been on the board for more than 20 years. “We need staff because volunteers cover these calls and for those few that we have, it’s getting so draining and difficult. The monies will help us to get a paramedic and to actually cover the shifts. As a rural ambulance service, we face many challenges, including getting payments from insurance companies or families for the runs that we do. It’s been difficult for a long time. This funding would be a great help.”

Polls for today’s special election open at 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m.

“EMS hasn’t been an essential service in Webster County or the State of Iowa for all these years, like law enforcement and fire,” said Hanson. “So we’re really not asking for anything more than what should already be there because fire is already mandated and law enforcement is already taxed. EMS should be, too. We have to go this route to educate and make people aware. I just really hope that people understand how important this vote is and that they get out and vote.”