Robbinsville – Some much-needed rest is coming for Graham County EMS personnel.
The county’s board of commissioners called a special meeting Monday morning to discuss a shift to a longer rotation for emergency personnel, who have been stretched thin due to staffing issues. Phillip Boyle – who took over the reins of Graham County EMS on Oct. 18 – sat with the commissioners for over 30 minutes in closed session, in an attempt to bring some relief to his staff, who worked between 3,000-4,000 hours last year, Boyle told The Graham Star in a phone interview Tuesday morning. Of those hours, 2,000 were worked by full-time staff. Boyle also pointed to the most-recent payroll, which saw emergency workers accumulate over 200 hours of overtime in a 2-week span.
After coming out of closed session, the commissioners voted unanimously to change from 48-on, 96-off to shifts of 24-on, 72-off.
“The board of commissioners really need to be commended,” Boyle said. “They made a decision that is beneficial to everyone in the county. It (the former shift schedule) was really putting the residents of Graham County in danger and we want to give the citizens the best treatment possible.”
Boyle added that with shifts being altered, an increase in expenses of around $500,000 will be needed, in order to bring on new personnel.