(Pottawattamie Co.) The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors held a discussion this morning on establishing an EMS Advisory Council.
Supervisor Susan Miller explained that more than a year ago, they established the 911 Telecommunications Advisory Council. At that time, they also discussed creating a similar task force to explore solutions for funding and staffing EMS services throughout the county. She said she and Jacob Hardiman, President of the Pottawattamie County Fire Chiefs Association, have had several discussions on the topic over the past year.
Miller said the Pottawattamie County Fire Chiefs Association voted on April 21, 2025, to establish the EMS System Advisory Council to explore solutions for enhanced EMS response throughout the county.
Jacob Hardiman simply asked the board stand the council up according to the proposal he provided.
Hardiman stated that there are many factors that need to be studied. He said that even if the Board of Supervisors decided now to move forward with establishing EMS as an essential service funded by a tax, it would take nearly two years to complete the necessary studies, public hearings, and votes. Therefore, he said the process needs to begin moving forward.
The Supervisors took no action this morning but agreed that a resolution should be placed on the agenda in the near future.
