Commissioners decline 24/7 takeover of Rollins County EMS; mutual-aid remains in place

Rollins County has discussed asking Cheyenne County EMS to provide coverage for McDonald after several Rollins EMTs were dismissed. At the April 1 meeting, Cheyenne County officials described the proposal and its risks. County counsel (speaker 2) said the concept, as presented at Rollins’ meetings, "in my legal opinion, this is a logistical nightmare," citing staffing, compensation, equipment and liability concerns.

The EMS director (speaker 11) described operational constraints and said Cheyenne County has limited personnel and supervision capacity; she also said some EMTs had offered to help Rollins County but were turned down. Commissioners repeatedly said they would respond to mutual-aid requests for emergencies but were not prepared to assume a continuous 24/7 service for another county. "Mutual aid is still there," one commissioner said, adding that mutual-aid responses would be provided on request in major incidents.

Board members emphasized that Rollins County needs to rectify its staffing and organizational issues locally; the commissioners declined to put words in their mouths or agree to take on the other county’s coverage without a formal legal and financial agreement. The board asked staff and counsel to follow up if Rollins County submits a specific, written proposal.