The Chippewa County Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee met Thursday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. in Chippewa Falls.
The meeting, which took place in room 302 of the County Courthouse, sought to lay the ground rules for a forthcoming discussion over several months to find a solution for challenges facing local EMS service. The 13-member Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee was approved Dec. 16 of last year by the county board after a January 2025 meeting that outlined EMS service challenges. Chaired by Chippewa County Board Member Pam Guthman, the EMS Study Committee includes members from local government as well as EMS services. Committee work will extend through at least August before making a final report to the Chippewa County Executive Committee and finally county board. An EMS Provider Workgroup will also be formed to complement the work of the Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee.
Included on the Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee from local government are Chippewa County Board members Pam Guthman and Peter Gehrin, Bloomer City Administrator Sandi Frion, Boyd Village Trustee Dale Isaacs, Cadott Village Trustee Eric Weiland, Cornell Alderperson Deb Semanko, Chippewa Falls Alderman Dan Dixon, Lafayette Town Chair Dave Staber, Arthur Town Chair Corey LaNou, and Town of Eagle Point Supervisor Pauline Spiegel. Included on the Committee from local EMS are EMS Association Chair Ron Patten, Anson EMS Director Adam Dewitt, and Chippewa Falls Fire and EMS Battalion Chief Justus Busse.
Present Jan. 29 for the Study Committee was Chippewa County Administrator Andy Albarado with other staff, as well as James Small and Garret Zastoupil from UW-Extension Madison. The meeting started with roll call and introductions, followed by revisiting the reason for the ad hoc committee, touched on by Small.
“EMS is probably the most complex service a local government can provide,” he said. With EMS currently distressed not just in Wisconsin but elsewhere as well, finding a solution to challenges was paramount. EMS services could involve trauma for providers, leading to high turnover and exit from the field by many. Areas with a low call volume might have calls costing several thousand dollars, while limited reimbursement meant there were sometimes financial challenges. Many EMS departments had a few people covering the majority of calls, raising the stakes if those same people were suddenly unable to cover these due to things like personal injury.
Public expectation on EMS remained high, but ensuring service into the future meant having frank but productive discussions on what was needed to do so.
“This is a governmental process,” Small said of finding solutions. “It should be slow and deliberate.”
From there the meeting proceeding to public comment opportunity.
With no members of the public present to give comment Thursday, the meeting then shifted to a facilitated discussion, led by Guthman.
Among those sharing their experiences and insights were Ron Patten, Tammy Thom, and Jason Moses.
Patten, with decades of experience, shared his view of things. Among them were the facts of more expensive equipment than before, workforce turnover with age and technology changes, and a generally higher threat of lawsuits than in the past.
“It used to be that if you showed up ‘oh you’re a good person,’” he said. “Now you do one thing wrong and it’s a potential lawsuit.”
Also sharing in the facilitated discussion Thursday was Chippewa County Dispatcher Tammy Thom.
“For us when it rains, it pours,” she said for dispatch activity. County dispatch had the challenge of meeting caller needs while facing high call volumes and sending services to where they were needed. County dispatch currently has 20 employees, including 13 full-time, five part-time, and two that filled shifts. Call volume had increased with local hospital closures, while the number of responders had decreased in the same time.
Chippewa County Emergency Services Director Jason Moses shared as well in the facilitated discussion.
“All disasters start local,” he said. With EMS being largely locally sourced and having fewer layers of support to fall back on than other services like law enforcement, the call to mitigate problems and plan well was imperative. If one service wasn’t able to respond due to a local disaster affecting ability, for instance, then neighboring agencies might need to be called upon to help out. The county plan went into the state plan which went into the federal plan, and all needed to work for EMS service delivery.
From the facilitated discussion the meeting then turned to ground rules moving forward, those present getting a chance to vote on rules and then elaborate the same.
Among key takeaways were to leave politics outside, be tough on systems but soft on people, not take criticism personally, anonymize discussion of specific EMS services while focusing on being solution oriented, and put the residents and people first above all.
Zastoupil, UW-Extension Madison Community Development Educator for Chippewa, Eau Claire, and Dunn counties, summed things up.
“This is a contentious topic,” he said of EMS service. “We can’t be thinking that there won’t be tension.” Having proper ground rules to facilitate discussions could help navigate that tension.
Adjourned Jan. 29 near 8 p.m., the next meeting of the Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee will be held March 5, 2026 at 6 p.m., then held the first Thursday of the month through at least August before submitting a report to the county board.
Readers can find more information on the Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee on the Chippewa County website at https://www.chippewacountywi.gov, clicking on “About Us” in the Top menu, followed by
“County Board Committees” and “Ad Hoc EMS Study Committee” on the left sidebar to reach the committee web page. They can also go direct by typing https://www.chippewacountywi.gov/752/Ad-Hoc-EMS-Study-Committee.
Meetings are open to the public.