The Boulder Ambulance Service is poised to get a new ambulance and other equipment, paid for with grants the service was recently awarded. But the service is struggling to recruit volunteers—and while city officials have applauded its grant-writing efforts, they have also sparred with Ambulance Service leaders over their engagement in helping to steer the department toward a sustainable future.
In public meetings, city and department staff meetings, interviews, and emails provided to The Monitor, Ambulance Service and city leaders agreed that a lack of volunteers threatens to cripple the service, and that new grant-funded equipment could help with recruitment. But they disagreed over who should craft a plan to revitalize the service—and over how involved Ambulance Service leadership has been, or should be, in working with elected officials to move forward.
The all-volunteer Boulder Ambulance Service is a city department that provides emergency medical services (EMS) to Boulder and adjacent areas. The department operates as an enterprise fund within the city’s annual budget, meaning that it generates revenue primarily through fees it charges for calls it responds to, rather than direct through tax revenue. Department leaders say that only four volunteers are regularly available for calls and others bolster the service, but that at least 10–14 regular volunteers are needed to provide adequate staffing. With the current staffing level, many calls are handled instead by Eagle Ambulance in Montana City, meaning a longer wait for patients and less revenue for the Boulder Ambulance Service.
