“Our ambulance/EMS service is one of the oldest continuous services provided by a fire department in the area. We take great pride in providing both fire and EMS coverage to our communities and helping our neighbors, friends and families during some of their most difficult situations,” he said.
The CFC is an all-volunteer organization whose members receive no pay for any calls made, training courses or meetings. All money received by the fire company through tax levies and donations are used for the purchase of equipment and supplies, the maintenance of equipment and buildings, and monthly utilities and expenses.
“The volunteer model has worked for many years, but over the past few years, our membership has slowly decreased as has the memberships in others clubs and organizations. With that, fewer members means fewer people to help, resulting in slower response times, and having to rely on mutual aid to help make the EMS calls,” Zerkle said.
In early 2021, the CFC sent out a letter explaining the situation and asked for anyone who could help. This resulted in two people joining, but only one was a certified EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). However, operating an EMS service requires several certified EMTs, and two are required on each call to make a transport to the hospital. The company currently has six EMTs who respond to calls, but only if they are available, and two are over the age of 70.
A few years ago, JSP Fire District (St. Paris EMS) began dispatching on all of Christiansburg EMS calls in case they didn’t have enough personnel so the area was getting coverage without any delays. JSP notified CFC a few months ago they would no longer be providing them with their full-time/paid EMS crew because it sometimes made it more difficult for them to cover their areas as well, but they would provide them with some volunteer EMTs, if available.
Zerkle said although they offered their volunteers, it felt like the same volunteer model they currently have, which is not guaranteed to be enough to make a call.
“We want to thank the JSP Fire District and their EMT members for helping make calls during these past few years,” he said, noting they worked together, adding, “(and) we are grateful for them.”
In early October, CFC notified their three coverage areas that they wouldn’t be renewing their EMS contracts for 2024 due to not having enough EMTs in the department.
“It’s becoming more difficult to get EMS coverage,” Zerkle said. “It’s just become more difficult in a volunteer setting to get people to run for that.”
Although they are ending EMS service, they are not closing their fire service. The fire department is still operational with about 15 firefighters, but they are always in need of volunteers.
Christiansburg has worked with the village council and both townships to help them get coverage for 2024, and they will “support and assist whoever is contracted to cover EMS in these areas in whatever way possible,” Zerkle said. They have also been guiding and informing trustees and council on how EMS coverage is handled in rural communities.
The Village of Christiansburg will be covered by the JSP Fire District, Lostcreek Twp. in Miami County will be covered by Troy Fire Department and Jackson Twp. in Champaign County will be covered by German Twp. EMS. These are all only one-year contracts for EMS services.
“Almost every area in this state has tax levies that support some type of paid/full-time EMS coverage for their community. Any of the tax levies currently in place in our coverage area do not provide enough funds to support full time EMS at this time,” Zerkle said.
The organization is still working to find a more permanent solution to bring an EMS service operated by the CFC back to the community that will pay two EMTs to cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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