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The Colorado County Commissioners Court voted June 8 to apply for a grant that could provide additional training resources and employee incentives for Colorado County EMS personnel.
During the meeting, an EMS representative told commissioners the grant would not be used to expand the department but instead would help fund training equipment and professional development opportunities for current employees.
“This would focus more on our clinical side, purchasing a sim lab that would give us more realworld applications for our employees to practice their scenarios,” the EMS representative said.
According to EMS officials, grant funds could be used to purchase training equipment, including high-fidelity mannequins that allow paramedics and EMTs to practice emergency response scenarios.
“High-fidelity mannequins are very helpful when it comes to moving forward in education,” the representative said. “Most paramedics and EMTs want to train and they want to train more.”
The grant would also support a longevity incentive program designed to reward EMS employees for years of service.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Keith Neuendorff encouraged the court to pursue the funding opportunity, noting that applying for the grant would not oblige the county to accept it.
“We don’t want to turn away grants,” Neuendorff said. “Applying for a grant isn’t going to hurt.”
The court approved moving forward with the grant application with no commissioners dissenting.
