Lack of volunteers putting strain on Kansas EMS agencies

CONWAY SPRINGS, Kan. (KWCH) – Kansas EMS agencies are feeling the strain when it comes to staffing ambulances. The volunteers that once picked up the slack are few and far between. Some Kansas towns are seeing this firsthand, which could lead to longer waits in the case of an emergency.

The Sumner County town of Conway Springs, about 30 miles southwest of Wichita, has a small EMS service that used to be a volunteer service. The struggle to keep that service running as it should prompted a change.

“The previous director before I started was having problems trying to maintain the volunteer service,” said paramedic and Conway Springs EMS Director Christina Perry.

It was a serious problem that led Conway Springs to become a full-time service. But EMS in a small town still needs volunteers to help out. In Conway Springs, that isn’t happening.

“People start wondering, ‘Well, they’re getting paid. Why would I ever do something for free?’” Perry said.

Statewide, small towns are facing EMS staffing problems similar to Conway Springs. Kansas has 171 EMS agencies that last year, ran about 425,000 calls. Forty percent reported staff shortage and 35% of those agencies depend on volunteers in some way. When it comes to coverage across the state, 30% of the EMS agencies provide service to nearly 170,000 Kansans.

Eleven of the 171 agencies reported being solely volunteer with 17 only offering pay to staff on a per-call basis or to be on-call.

The question comes: What’s changed from 10 years ago?

“You’re asking someone to go to school and do something for free,” Perry said. “That’s a big ask.”

Without volunteers to help full-time staff, if another call comes out while the full-time crew is already responding to a call, they have to depend on other towns.

“We have to rely on mutual aid, which thankfully our mutual said is great. But our mutual aid is also a volunteer service,” Perry said.

As a former volunteer herself, Perry sees benefits for the community, as well as for those who step up.

“You get to help people at their worst. You get to show up and say, ‘I understand.’ You get to be their shining light in the darkness,” she said.

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