Clay County Commissioners voted Monday night to update policies governing the county’s EMS Director position.
Clay County EMS Director Andrew Hall said the changes establish formal qualifications for the role and revise how the director is appointed and removed. Hall said the updates address gaps that had never previously been outlined in county policy.
“There’s never been any policies in the county for qualifications that are required for a director or how the director is actually hired and fired,” Hall said. “I kind of just fell into the position when appointed to it. So as we come along with these things, we try to make sure and incorporate it into the county policies and stuff like that.”
Under the new policy, the county commission will handle the appointment and removal of the EMS director rather than the county executive. Hall said future candidates must now be a licensed paramedic with at least five years of ground experience.
“That way, someone who takes over just does not come in off the street and say okay I am gonna run an ambulance service,” Hall said. “So we set up some kind of guidelines that they need to go by.”
Hall said he modeled the qualifications after policies in surrounding counties.
Commissioners also approved a change involving the county’s medical director position. The update allows the commission to assist the EMS director in the appointment or removal process if a change becomes necessary.
“If something happens and he wants to give it up and we have to hire somebody else instead of you know, ultimately by state law, it falls back on the EMS director,” Hall said. “I’m letting them make the decision with me instead of just you know me saying, okay, I want this guy. I’ll bring it in front of them and ask their permission to kind of just give them a little more power over who the medical director is.”
Hall said he was pleased with the updates, describing them as “housekeeping.” Commissioners approved the changes unanimously.
In other business, the commission voted to replace Heff Gentry on the Industrial Development board with Pauletta Scott.
