Marion County Ambulance District Board of Directors hears support for interim chief

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Interim Chief Marshall Miller received votes of confidence to be hired as the next chief of the Marion County Ambulance District during last week’s Board of Directors meeting.

The board made no decision on the matter, as the application deadline did not expire until Saturday, but board president Dot Lake assured those present that the board would be taking the comments into consideration.

Also during the meeting, the board heard updates on a recent audit and the ARPA grant as well as a variety of other topics.

The MCAD chief’s position became available last fall when then Chief John Nemes announced his retirement. At that point, Miller was appointed interim chief and Eric Murfin as deputy chief.

Speaking on behalf of the employees of the district, Capt. Chris Dolbeare read a prepared statement, which was signed by a majority of the employees, in support of Miller, noting that in this unexpected situation, the board has “continued to support the crews as we work toward a solution.”

In the statement, Dolbeare noted the employees believe the district already has a capable leader in Miller and that “hiring from outside the district will only destroy employee morale and cause irreversible damage to the district.”

“We feel we have the perfect chief already in place, and the delay by the board has prevented Marion County from beginning its journey of repair,” he read, adding the employees are offering their full support and recommendation to name Miller as chief “so that we can move forward and achieve great things.”

The administrative staff of the district also presented a letter of support for hiring Miller as chief and Murfin as deputy chief. 

“Since being put into their interim roles, Interim Chief Miller and Interim Deputy Chief Murfin have consistently worked hard and showed great dedication in working with the entire administrative staff,” the letter noted. “They both have already proved to us to be valuable to the current and future state of the district.”

In assuring the employees, many of whom attended the board meeting, Lake said the board would be taking its time reviewing all the applicants.

“We want to make the right choice for the district,” she said. “We value every one of our employees. You are our biggest asset.

“Longevity is important to us as we know it takes time to train new employees. We respect each of you for supporting the board and Eric and Marty.”

Branson Well, another member of the board, also noted he will be taking “very seriously” what the employees say in his consideration for filling the positions.

Miller said he was unaware of the employees’ intentions of presenting the letters of support but expressed his appreciation.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the crew we have here. You are all dedicated and hardworking,” he said

Murfin agreed with that statement, adding, “Any success we have is only because of you guys. We have a good, smart group of people.”

Capt. Eli Bell noted this was the first time he felt like his opinion mattered. 

“We are fostering an atmosphere of togetherness and moving forward,” he said. “These two gentlemen are a large part of that.”

In other business, Miller reported auditors Evers & Company were onsite on March 10, and the process went smoothly. 

“They had access to everything they needed,” he said. “We had a meeting with one of the firm’s owners regarding assets and how to define what we show as capital asset.”

The district has taken steps regarding recommendations from last year’s audit, he said, including the segregation of duties and setting up a new system for purchases. 

Establishing a separate budget for the district’s pension also will be done as part of the recommendations from the auditors.

Concerning the ARPA grant update, Miller said the district has received $91,382.82 from the Department of Health and Senior Services for the 28 new portable radios and chargers, meaning the district share of the total was $10,000.

The district has met with Commerce Bank to discuss accounts, investments and new signing authorities with several steps having been taken to change things to make card management more efficient. They also set up thresholds for the money market account, with anything above that going into a CD.

Miller reported he had attended a Missouri Ambulance Association meeting, during which they discussed mobile integrated health reimbursements and those challenges as well as the GEMT, noting it is likely that program will be discontinued. That will mean a loss of around $300,000 to the district.

Murfin reported the two-day administrative portion of the orientation process for the four new employees has been conducted.

The entire orientation process takes several weeks, and Murfin noted the new EMTs should be cleared for work shifts by early May. One new paramedic is beginning clinicals now.

Miller and Murfin also reported:

• membership in the Missouri EMS Association was renewed for 2025;
• a strike team was on standby at the request of Region B EMS Mutual Aid but was not needed during the recent impending weather situation;
• ONEOK presented a pipeline rupture tabletop exercise for emergency responders, using the MCAD training facility. As a thank you, they donated an AED for the community AED program;
• the EMT and paramedic refresher course, for which about 30 people attended, was completed on March 14;
• met with Dr. Chris Solaro for the monthly medical director meeting and approved 16 providers for their NREMT renewals;
• a VFIS risk control officer was onsite to review policies and inspect a couple of the district’s facilities; 
• the district renewed their agreement with Green America Recycling to update the information on current administration; and
• the district had ended its subscription to the Zoom Pro as it primarily uses Teams.

Miller also reported on the call volume for February and gave a comparison to the past two years, noting calls are “trending up.”

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.