WELL, ANN ZENK, THANKS VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THE STATE'S NETWORK OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES IS CRUMBLING AND DANGEROUSLY UNRELIABLE.

THAT'S ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT FROM THE OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH.

"HERE AND NOW" REPORTER STEVE POTTER LOOKS AT THE GROWING PROBLEMS AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS.

>> THIS IS A HEARTBREAK.

THIS IS A TRAGEDY.

>> BECAUSE WHEN YOU CALL 9-1-1, YOU EXPECT AN AMBULANCE TO SHOW UP AND SHOW UP SOON.

(Siren).

>> BUT FOR SOME COMMUNITIES AROUND THE STATE, PARTICULARLY RURAL ONES, THERE'S A GROWING CONCERN THAT EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES WON'T BE THERE TO ANSWER CALLS.

THE PROBLEM, A STAFFING SHORTAGE.

>> WE HAVE A CRISIS NOT UNLIKE OTHER INDUSTRIES, LIKE RETAIL AND OTHERWISE, BUT STAFFING FOR E.M.S.

MEANS LIFE AND DEATH.

IT MEANS SOMEBODY NOT SHOWING UP TO A CALL, AN AMBULANCE NOT ARRIVING.

WHAT WE STARTED TO SEE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN CLOSING, AND SOMETIMES THERE'S A MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT FOR ANOTHER DEPARTMENT TO COME IN AND HELP OUT, BUT MANY TIMES, TOWNS, CITIES, VILLAGES ARE WITHOUT E.M.S.

THEY HAVE NOBODY.

>> A NEW SUPPER FROM THE UW MADISON OF RURAL HEALTH SHOWS THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEMS.

MORE THAN 40% OF STATE E.M.S.

AGENCIES HAD STAFFING GAPS WHERE NO AMBULANCE WAS AVAILABLE FOR EMERGENCY CALLS.

AND ALMOST 80% OF E.M.S.

AGENCIES WERE CALLED TO COVER AN EMERGENCY IN A NEIGHBORING COMMUNITY.

>> WE SAW THAT IN 10 COMMUNITIES, THERE WERE SERVICES THAT REPORTED THAT AN AMBULANCE NEVER GOT TO A CALL AT ALL, THAT THERE WAS 9-1-1 CALLS REQUESTING AMBULANCES.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE STAFFING AVAILABLE AND THEY NEVER HAD AN AMBULANCE MAKE IT TO A CALL.

>> AT THE HEART OF THE CURRENT STAFFING STRUGGLES IS THE FACT THAT, FOR DECADES, WISCONSIN'S E.M.S.

OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN BUILT UPON AND ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY BEEN SUPPORTED BY VOLUNTEERS.

>> RIGHT NOW, 79% OF OUR STATE ACTUALLY RELIES ON VOLUNTEERS TO STAFF THEIR 9/11 CALLS, WHICH IS A HUGE AMOUNT IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MAJORITY OF THE STATE RELIES ON VOLUNTEERS, SOME THAT MIGHT GET PAID A STIPEND, MIGHT NOT GET PAID AT ALL, A LOT OF TIMES HAVING TO PAY OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET, SO WE HAVE MANY RURAL AREAS THAT ARE USING VOLUNTEERS TO KIND OF SUBSIDIZE THE COST OF E.M.S.

>> PAUL BLOUNT IS THE CHIEF OF THE E.M.S.

OPERATIONS FOR THE CAMBRIDGE AREA.

THE COMBINATION MODEL HAS BECOME A POPULAR SOLUTION.

WE HAVE SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS THAT WORK HERE FULL TIME, THIS IS THEIR FULL-TIME JOB, AND THEN SOME PART-TIME MEMBERS AND THEN COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER PAID ON-CALL MEMBERS, AND THAT IS A PRETTY POPULAR STAFFING STRATEGY AND WHAT IT DOES IS HELP ADDRESS THE NEED FOR 24/7/365 AMBULANCE COVERAGE.

>> CHIEF BLOUNT STARTED AS AN E.M.S.

VOLUNTEER HIMSELF YEARS AGO.

HE UNDERSTANDS WHY IT'S HARD TO KEEP ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS TO STAFF AMBULANCES.

>> FAMILY DEMANDS, WORK DEMANDS, AND THEN JUST A STRUGGLE TO JUST FIND PEOPLE TO DO THE JOB AND TO VOLUNTEER ESPECIALLY TO DO THE JOB.

>> THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE E.M.S.

STAFFING SHORTAGE IS HAPPENING THEIR IN LAKE MILLS IN JEFFERSON COUNTY.

>> UNFORTUNATELY, A BIT OVER A YEAR AGO, WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE NOT BEING SUCCESSFUL AT RECRUITING AND RETAINING PEOPLE.

WE WERE ALSO HAVING SOME FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES WITH ALL OF THAT GOING ON BASICALLY, WE HAVE HAD TO MAKE THE DECISION THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE CLOSING OUR DOORS HERE ON JUNE 30th.

BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN SERVING THIS COMMUNITY, OUR FRIENDS, OUR NEIGHBORS FOR CLOSE TO 50 YEARS, THAT IN ITSELF IS THE -- CLOSING THE DOORS IS JUST TRAGIC.

>> WHETHER YOU'RE A PAID EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN OR EVEN AN E.M.S.

VOLUNTEER, EXTENSIVE TRAINING, EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION FROM THE STATE IS REQUIRED.

AND ON TOP OF THAT, JIM COLEGROVE NOTES, THE WORK ISN'T FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.

>> THIS IS A DIRTY JOB.

THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT.

YOU ARE DEALING WITH HUMAN BEINGS IN SOME OF THEIR WORST POSSIBLE TIMES AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LOT OF EMPATHY FOR THOSE PEOPLE AND YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING BE WORKING IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE SOMEBODY IS THROWING UP ON YOU.

YOU ARE WORKING A CODE AND YOU ARE DOING C.P.R.

ON SOMEBODY THAT YOU KNOW WHO LIVES JUST DOWN THE STREET, THAT TYPE OF THING, AND SO IT IS VERY EMOTIONALLY CHARGED, BUT IT IS GENERALLY VERY MUCH A SENSE OF WANTING TO GIVE BACK TO A COMMUNITY.

>> LAKE MILLS IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF JOINING THE CAMBRIDGE AREA E.M.S.

GROUP.

A NUMBER OF E.M.S.

AGENCIES AROUND THE STATE HAVE ENTERED INTO SIMILAR CONSOLIDATION AGREEMENTS WITH NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITIES.

A TEMPORARILY SOLUTION IS ASKING RESIDENTS, THROUGH BALLOT REFERENDUMS, FOR MORE MONEY, BUT FOR A LONG-TERM SOLUTION, E.M.S.

OFFICIALS ARE SEEKING MORE STABLE FUNDING FROM THE STATE.

>> THE STATE REALLY, RIGHT NOW, NEEDS TO STEP N-NEEDS TO PROVIDE PERMANENT FUNDING.

>> DEYOUNG SAYS SUCH FUNDING WILL NEED TO BE SUBSTANTIAL AND SUSTAINABLE.

>> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT $500 MILLION IN A BUDGET EMERGENCY MANAHOPEFULLYFOR A TWO-YEAR BUDE EVERY DEPARTMENT ABOUT WHAT THEY NEED.

SOME WILL GET LESS, SOME MORE, BASED ON ON HOW RURAL THEY ARE.

>> TO MAKE THAT FUNDING DREAM A REALITY, E.M.S.

OPERATORS HAVE BEGAN KNOCKING ON LAWMAKERS' DOORS AT THE CAPITOL.

>> AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, POLICE, FIRE EXPEMS, E.M.S.

IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

>> OH EAU CLAIRE AREA STATE SENATOR JESSE JAMES HAS WORKED HAND IN HAND ON EMERGENCY CALLS AS A FORMER POLICE AND FIRE CHEER IN ALTONA.

HE SAYS HE KNOWS HOW NECESSARY THESE SERVICES ARE.

>> IT'S ESSENTIAL FOR ALL OF US, WHETHER YOU'RE IN THE URBAN AREA OR RURAL AREA, WE NEED TO HAVE THESE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES.

>> SENATOR JAMES SAYS HE WANTS TO EXPLORE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR SMALLER COMMUNITIES TO CONSOLIDATE THEIR E.M.S.

OPERATIONS, BUT HE'S UNSURE HOW MUCH REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS ARE WILLING TO GIVE TO E.M.S.

AGENCIES IN THEIR STATE BUDGET.

>> THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME MONEY PUT INTO IT.

I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WOULD REACH THAT $500 MILLION MARK, THOUGH.

>> E.M.S.

OFFICIALS SAY THEY ALSO NEED MORE MONEY FOR RECRUITMENTS EFFORTS TO HELP ATTRACT MORE POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES TO THE FIELD.

ACCORDING TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES, OVER THE LAST DECADE, AMBULANCE PATIENT NUMBERS HAVE NEARLY DOUBLED FROM ABOUT 500,000 PATIENTS PER YEAR TO MORE THAN 900,000.

OVER THAT SAME 10 YEARS, HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF E.M.S.

PROVIDERS HAS GONE FROM 20,000 TO JUST 21,000, AN INCREASE OF ONLY 5%.

AND, DEYOUNG SAYS, THOSE FIGURES ARE ABOUT TO GET MUCH WORSE.

>> WE ARE ACTUALLY ESTIMATING ABOUT 25, 26% OF ALL LICENSED E.M.S.

PROVIDERS ARE PROBABLY GOING TO LET THEIR LICENSE LAPSE THIS RENEWAL YEAR.

YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A WORKFORCE CUTTING IT DOWN BY A QUARTER.

>> E.M.S.

LEADERS HOLD OUT HOPE THAT STATE LAWMAKERS WILL RESPOND TO THE NEED.

>> I THINK THAT THERAPIES -- THAT THERE IS INTENT IN THE LEGISLATURE TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.

IT SEEMS TO BE VERY HIGH PRIORITY.

I'M GETTING CONTACTED BY LEGISLATORS NUMEROUS TIMES A WEEK WANTING INFORMATION ON THE SYSTEM, WANTING TO KNOW SOME OF THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY AND SO ON.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT E.M.S.

2.0 IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, BUT WE KNOW THAT E.M.S.

1.0 HAS RUN ITS