(Red Oak) The Red Oak City Council will continue providing emergency medical services to Emerson after the two communities reached an agreement.
City Administrator Lisa Kotter reported to the Red Oak City Council on Monday that the Emerson City Council voted 4-0 to approve the terms of a 28E agreement with the City of Red Oak for EMS services. Red Oak has already entered into similar 28E agreements with Stanton, Villisca, Elliott, and Grant to help fund regional paramedic-level emergency medical services provided by the Red Oak Fire Department.
Earlier this month, the Red Oak City Council approved a resolution to discontinue EMS service to Emerson after learning the community had turned to Malvern for EMS coverage. The resolution authorized Kotter to notify Emerson that the Red Oak Fire Department would stop responding to EMS calls in the community effective Monday, July 13, 2026, unless the two cities reached a written agreement. Kotter said the Emerson City Council agreed to the terms a few days later, allowing EMS service to continue under the new 28E agreement.
Kotter says in the end the Emerson City Council had it posted during the meeting to vote on the proposal, and went ahead with the 28E agreement with the City of Red Oak.
The participating communities will contribute a combined $22,925 annually based on call volume and service area. The proposed annual community contributions:
Villisca: $10,000
Stanton: $7,141
Emerson: $3,695
Elliott: $1,733
Grant: $356
