Like many other industries, emergency responders and ambulance services are facing staffing and funding issues.

At a roundtable in Duluth Wednesday, several organizations discussed those challenges and possible solutions.

When someone is facing a crisis, a quick response from Emergency Medical Services can be the difference between life and death.

“There’s a lot of rural Minnesota that is struggling. We are at a crisis point in being able to deliver that service,” said John Fox, a full-time paramedic and the Secretary/Treasurer of the Minnesota Ambulance Association.

His organization and the Center for Rural Policy & Development hosted a roundtable discussion Wednesday.

Panelists spoke about issues concerning rural EMS service, namely, staffing and funding.

“Currently we are having a very hard time finding those people to staff, the funding isn’t there to pay people to do it,” Fox said. “We’ve always gotten it volunteer so now we have to try to pay somebody, but there’s no money to make that happen.”

Fox said in the most recent re-certification cycle, twice as many people let their licenses expire.

Hibbing Fire Chief Erik Jankila was a panelist at the roundtable.

He said one step toward a solution is raising awareness.

“The more awareness that we can bring out to the public, who are basically our constituents, our citizens, our legislative folks,” Jankila said.

He said intervention to help with staffing and funding can and should come from all levels.

“It really needs federal assistance and need, state assistance and need, local assistance and need, to make this system work,” Jankila said.

Fox said he encourages anyone with concerns about EMS services in their community to share them with their local provider.

He said that will help organizations like his know what other issues the industry is facing.

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