Bannock County commissioners will vote next week on a plan to expand emergency medical services in the southern part of the county, a proposal that includes hiring four full-time paramedics and ending operations at the Inkom volunteer ambulance.
The Pocatello Fire Department presented the proposal Tuesday at the Bannock County Courthouse, citing chronic staffing shortages and long response times as the driving forces behind the recommended changes.
Inkom Unit Responding to Fewer Than Three in Ten Calls
According to data shared with commissioners, the Inkom volunteer ambulance responded to just 26.9 percent of emergency calls within its coverage area during fiscal year 2026. Officials said that when volunteer units are unavailable, ambulances must be dispatched from Pocatello, resulting in response times that can stretch to 30 minutes or more.
Autumn Baker, executive assistant for the Pocatello Fire Department, said the delay is unacceptable for residents in medical distress.
“I don’t think that’s a reasonable amount of time to expect a patient to wait for ambulance service,” Baker told commissioners during the presentation.
Under the proposal, the Inkom ambulance would be taken out of service and its equipment reallocated to a new station in McCammon. Inkom volunteers would retain their EMT credentials and could staff shifts at the McCammon facility, which includes living quarters.
New McCammon Station Part of Multi-Year Effort
The proposed changes build on years of work to improve emergency response in communities including Inkom, Lava Hot Springs, McCammon and Downey.
In 2023, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson secured federal funding for construction of a new McCammon fire station. Bannock County contributed $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to add an EMS ambulance bay to the facility.
The county later received an Assistance to Firefighters Grant to send seven people to paramedic school and secured a separate grant in September 2024 to purchase a new frontline ambulance, which is expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
Interim Fire Chief Shane Grow and Baker outlined how the new structure would provide advanced life support services to the southern portion of the county. Currently, south county relies primarily on basic life support, meaning emergency medical technicians can monitor patients and perform certain procedures but cannot administer medications.
Patients experiencing heart attacks or serious injuries requiring pain management must wait for a paramedic to arrive on scene before receiving medication.
Paramedics to Cover Two of Three Shifts
The fire department is recommending that paramedics staff two of the three platoon shifts at the new McCammon station, providing advanced life support coverage four out of every six days in south Bannock County.
Baker said the approach balances the need for professional staffing with the realities of rural emergency services.
“We proposed to keep Lava and Downey in service, because we’ve got a good volunteer pool there, and then the amount of calls that they answer,” Baker said. “Downey is in service about 80 percent of the time and we see value in that.”
The Lava Hot Springs and Downey volunteer ambulances would continue operating under the proposal. Officials said both have stronger volunteer participation and reliability rates than Inkom.
In addition to the four new paramedic positions, the plan calls for consolidating six EMS coordinator positions into one regional role, a move intended to streamline management of emergency services across the county.
What Comes Next
Bannock County commissioners are scheduled to vote on the proposal at their meeting next week. If approved, the changes would take effect following arrival of the new ambulance and completion of the McCammon station.
Baker said the fire department has documented missed calls, including from her own family, due to volunteer units being out of service. She emphasized that both county officials and the fire department share the goal of ensuring south Bannock County residents receive timely emergency care.
The proposal represents the most significant restructuring of emergency medical services in rural Bannock County in recent years and would mark a shift from volunteer-dependent response to a hybrid model combining career paramedics with volunteer support.