ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Prepared to Serve. Proud to Protect. is more than a slogan – it’s a reflection of who we are. This campaign highlights the Wauseon Fire Department’s role in emergency response, community education, recruitment and the everyday impact we make in the lives of those who live, work and visit our community.
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Community FAQ
Is the County required to operate an EMS program in the County?
No. Under the Ohio Revised Code, the County may, but is not required to provide EMS services for the county.
If the County opts to provide EMS services for the county, is it required to contract with local fire departments to provide such services?
No. But operating its own EMS program would require it to have its own facilities, vehicles, equipment, command staff, trained personnel, etc. all likely at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.
The County has indicated that in contracting, it is only required to pay the local governments enough money to pay for one full-time EMT and one full-time Paramedic to be on call. Is that true?
No. The City has no idea why the County believes this to be true.
Is one full-time EMT and one full-time Paramedic enough to cover EMS calls in Wauseon?
No. The City operates two ambulances which are routinely out on calls at the same time, many times assisting other departments. One EMT and one Paramedic is not enough to staff two ambulances.
If the County's proposed contract would decrease the annual payment to Wauseon for providing EMS, does that mean the cost of providing EMS has decreased?
No. EMS costs have increased significantly since the last contract was signed in 2021, just like many other expenses in our economy.
What kind of EMS operating costs have increased?
Examples include personnel wages, benefits, overtime, ambulances, fuel, medical supplies and medications, equipment, maintenance, insurance, training, utilities, and contracted services.
Did the COVID-era economy affect EMS costs?
Yes. The pandemic and the years that followed caused higher costs for supplies, equipment, staffing, overtime, and competitive wages. Many of those costs have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
If the County reduces its annual payments, will that impact the City?
Yes. It will likely impact the City in one or both of two ways: the City would have to use more of its General Fund to support the County’s EMS program and/or make cuts to EMS services we provide.
Has the County offered to renew Wauseon's EMS contracts for 2027?
Yes. However, the County has proposed a single EMS contract with an annual payment of $750,000, compared to the $1,025,000 currently received. This represents a $275,000 reduction in annual funding, or approximately 26.8%.
Has the City made a counter offer to the County's original proposal?
Yes. The City submitted a counteroffer requesting annual EMS payments of $1,250,000.
Why did the City request $1,250,000?
$1,250,000 is approximately the amount of annual tax payments made by residents in the Wauseon Fire Department’s primary EMS coverage area: Wauseon, Clinton Township, Dover Township, and the immediate surrounding area.
If residents in Wauseon, Clinton Township, Dover Township, and the surrounding area pay about $1,250,000 in annual EMS related taxes, what happens to the other $500,000?
The County sends the remaining $500,000, which is about 40% of the taxes paid by Wauseon, Clinton Township, Dover Township and the immediate surrounding area to other Fire Departments in the County.
What does "EMS" mean?
What is Basic Life Support (BLS)?
Basic Life Support, or BLS, is the level of care an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is authorized to provide. In practical terms, BLS can include patient assessment, vital signs, CPR, automated defibrillation, oxygen, airway support, bleeding control, splinting, and other emergency care within the EMT scope of practice. A BLS patient may still be seriously ill or injured; “BLS” describes the level of care required, not whether the call is important.
What is Advanced Life Support (ALS)?
Advanced Life Support, or ALS, is the level of treatment a paramedic is authorized to provide. ALS adds advanced assessment and treatment capabilities that can include cardiac monitoring and interpretation, advanced airway procedures, IV or medication therapy, and other paramedic-level interventions when permitted by medical protocol. Not every EMS call requires ALS treatment, but ALS capability must be available when a patient’s condition requires it.
What is a “lift assist,” and how does it affect EMS response?
A lift assist generally involves helping a person who is unable to get up from the floor, chair, bed, or another position without assistance. Many lift-assist calls do not ultimately require ALS treatment or ambulance transportation. However, they still require an EMS response because personnel must determine whether the person fell because of illness, injury, weakness, dizziness, medication effects, or another medical problem. Even when no transport occurs, the call uses personnel and response resources for the time needed to assist, assess, document, and safely return the unit to service.
How does Wauseon normally staff and respond to an EMS call?
Wauseon’s routine response model is designed to match resources to the needs of the patient. A staffed ambulance responds to the EMS call, and a chase vehicle responds with one additional trained EMS person to assist the ambulance crew. This gives the patient an additional trained responder at the scene without requiring a second ambulance to be committed to every routine call. The chase vehicle does not replace the transporting ambulance; it supplements the crew and can return to service when its assistance is no longer needed.
What happens when an EMS call requires more personnel or more resources?
The response is expanded when the nature of the call requires it. Depending on the incident, additional resources may include another staffed ambulance, additional EMS personnel, fire apparatus, and chief officers. Higher-acuity medical calls, cardiac arrests, serious trauma, difficult patient movement, multiple patients, fire incidents, hazardous conditions, or overlapping calls may require more personnel than a routine EMS response.
Why use an ambulance-and-chase-vehicle response model?
Why does Wauseon maintain two ALS capabilities?
Wauseon has determined that two ALS capabilities are needed to manage its actual service demand. Reasons include regular overlapping EMS calls, ambulance transports that remove a unit from the response area, simultaneous fire and EMS incidents, high-acuity calls requiring multiple responders, regional mutual-aid requests, and special-event coverage.
Does the second ALS unit only serve Wauseon?
No. Wauseon regularly commits ALS resources to neighboring communities when incidents overlap or another jurisdiction requires assistance. There are occasions when both Wauseon ALS units are committed outside the primary response area. When that occurs, Wauseon, Clinton Township, and Dover Township may have to rely on mutual aid or assemble additional EMS personnel for a third local response to avoid delaying patient care.
Why is relying on mutual aid not always the same as having a local second unit available?
Mutual aid is important, but it may not be immediately available. Neighboring units may already be on other calls, transporting patients, short-staffed, or farther away. A local second ALS capability provides more dependable coverage for overlapping emergencies.
Does the City's taking money from its General Fund to pay for EMS have any impact on the City?
Yes. The General Fund is used to pay for many general city services. Using it to cover EMS costs reduces the City’s ability to provide other services it is responsible for funding.
Does Wauseon's permanent population fully reflect its EMS workload?
Not always. Wauseon’s EMS demand is influenced by more than census population. Nursing homes, long-term-care facilities, a dialysis center, medical offices, schools, industrial sites, and the Fulton County Fairgrounds all add daily and seasonal residents.
How do these facilities affect EMS demand?
These locations concentrate people and can generate higher call volume or higher-acuity incidents. Patients, students, employees, and visitors may need emergency care during the day even though they are not counted as permanent residents.
What role does the Fulton County Fairgrounds play in EMS demand?
The fairgrounds hosts many events that rely on local fire and EMS coverage. Tractor pulls, horse racing, flat-track motorcycle racing, agricultural events, large spectator events, and the annual Fulton County Fair all increase demand.
Are fairgrounds demands limited for fair week?
No. The Fulton County Fairgrounds hosts events throughout the year. Participants, spectators, vendors, campers, teams, and visitors can significantly increase the area’s temporary population emergency-service needs.
Are the Fulton County Fairgrounds the only community asset that creates major seasonal EMS demand?
No. Other community assets, especially Oakshade Raceway, also attract large crowds and higher-risk activity. Fairgrounds and Oakshade events can occur at the same time, creating two high-demand locations while normal community calls continue.
How does event coverage affect normal community coverage?
When personnel and units are committed to an event, they may be unavailable for another emergency elsewhere. Additional ALS or BLS capacity gives Wauseon more flexibility to manage overlapping calls without relying only on distant or uncertain mutual aid.
How is the City's EMS funded?
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners provide some funding to the City of Wauseon through a five-year countywide tax levy. Currently, the City has two contracts with the Commissioners – $650,000 and $375,000 – for a combined total of $1,025,000. Both contracts expire on December 31, 2026.
Do the funds received from the County cover the entire cot of the City's EMS?
No. In 2025, the City’s total EMS costs were $2.7 million, and 2026 costs are expected to be similar or slightly higher.
How does the City make up the difference between the total EMS cost and what the County provides?
The City receives some funding from insurance payments for EMS transports. Most of the remaining gap, however, is covered by the City’s General Fund. In 2025, $1.19 million had to be withdrawn from the General Fund to support EMS.