Marion County Ambulance District establishes guidelines for hiring new administrative chief

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Marion County Ambulance District (MCAD) is seeking a new administrative chief, following approval by the district’s board of directors to post the position.

With the retirement last year of Chief John Nemes, the district has relied on interim chief Marshall Miller and interim deputy chief Eric Murfin. However, the board approved posting the job for the chief position during last week’s meeting.

Also during the meeting, the board discussed a new ambulance and investments and adopted a new credit card policy. They also evaluated the current organizational structure and discussed dashboard cameras.

In addition to at least five years in a supervisory position, the board decided candidates for chief must possess a bachelor’s degree and 10 years of medical experience, specifically knowledge of Missouri EMS. If a candidate does not already have their certified chief administration, they would be required to get it within 12 months of employment.

The person hired must live within 30 minutes of Hannibal. Non-local candidates would have six months to find residency within that 30-minute range.

Standard benefits would be included, and additional benefits would be negotiable. The board approved posting the position for 30 days on the Missouri EMS Association site.

In other business, Miller reported a demo ambulance had been viewed by the district. He also noted a new truck would need to be an agenda item in the future because of the state of the vehicles the district has.

Cost for a truck shown to the district is around $330,000, but a few customizations would probably be needed on the standard truck. 

If the district were to get one of these types of trucks, delivery would be by the end of the year, Miller said, noting any special orders would push back delivery to 2027.

With the possibility of needing a new truck in the future, the board discussed the district’s investments. MCAD has several long-term CDs with interest delivered monthly on some of those. That interest is then distributed to the general fund and some into money market accounts. The board discussed moving all that interest into the money market account but set a cap on it.

The board also approved changes to the credit card policy. The assistant chiefs and possibly others were using the same cards, thereby creating confusion as to who was ordering what.

The new credit cards have been registered to people, making the accountability go to that individual.

Murfin noted this was one of the checks and balances requested by the auditors last year.

Miller reported the dashboard cameras have been a failed endeavor, and the equipment was taken back by the company. However, MCAD has been contacted by a collection agency to try to get fees.

After emails with Verizon, emails have been sent stating there is no charge. Miller told them the district will get their attorney involved if necessary.

The board reviewed the organizational structure of the district, noting things need to be streamlined as it appears the district will be over budget.

The board made no job cuts but did ask for job descriptions and tasks of those positions that currently do not have specific job descriptions.

Miller covered several things in his report, including that MCAD has just received the 28 new Kenwood Viking VP8000 series portable radios with batteries, desktop charges and vehicle chargers that were covered by the ARPA grant funds.

He said he will be submitting the paperwork for reimbursement by the end of the month, but since it was a 90-10 grant, the district will still be responsible for $10,000 of the cost.

Four district employees — Chris Paro, Colby Kerker, Basil Quincy and Cole Painter — were recognized for graduating from the paramedic program and are nationally registered and licensed in the state of Missouri. 

Interviews for new hires were held Feb. 18, with the four applicants extended offers for employment. Miller said the interviews were conducted by the assistant chiefs, captains and Training Officer Tony Slater.

Miller reported the final cost for 2025 for insurance is $13,000 more than last year and that an overpayment to Zoll Medical will mean a $24,000 reimbursement to the district. The district also received a refund from Spectrum for $1,478.37 for the return of cable boxes. The district also has approved the protocol for the I-gel blind insertion airway device since the King Tubes are no longer approved by the FDA.

The board also learned: 

• A PR crew was present for the 28^th annual CHART teen health fair;
• Miller and Murfin gave a presentation on the state of service and challenges facing the EMS industry at the Palmyra Chamber of Commerce meeting on Feb. 11; and
• The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs registration for the MCAD has been renewed for 2025.

The board also approved having the finance department members attend Certified Ambulance Financial Officer training to keep current on EMS financial situations. Both are gathering information for the annual audit, set for March 10.

The board also reviewed the EMS response totals for December and January.

Information for this story was provided by Patty Cheffey, former owner of the Palmyra Spectator newspaper. She now is on the administrative team for the Marion County Ambulance District.