Cole County EMS adopts fleet-monitoring subscription and approves lab-consulting retainer for point-of-care testing

Cole County commissioners on April 21 approved two measures aimed at modernizing emergency medical services: a subscription for vehicle monitoring and a consulting agreement to pursue point-of-care laboratory testing.

The board voted to execute an annual subscription agreement for a Samsara fleet-monitoring system to give EMS real-time driver alerts, 15-second video clips of events and on-board diagnostics that integrate with maintenance software. The vendor model is subscription-based; staff presented first-year costs of $10,667.10 and recurring annual fees of about $10,530.

"It utilizes AI technology to monitor the drivers and the vehicles to make sure they're operating safely," an EMS official said, adding the system provides audio alerts such as, "Hey, you're following too closely." Staff said the county intends to use recorded clips primarily for training rather than punitive measures.

Separately, EMS requested approval to retain Lighthouse Lab Services to complete regulatory work required for expanded point-of-care laboratory testing. Commissioners approved a retainer and consulting hours (a $2,500 retainer plus five consulting hours at $500 per hour, for a $5,000 total) so the agency can pursue state and CMS certification to run blood-gas and electrolyte testing in the field. Dr. Stilly has completed additional training to serve as the agency’s lab medical director, staff said. The board voted in favor of the consulting agreement; final purchase terms for four Epoch devices (quoted at $28,791.20) and consumable cards (~$10 each) will return for approval next week.

Commissioners emphasized training, maintenance costs and lifecycle expectations for the devices. "I don't think this is going to be a $28,000 expenditure every 3 years," one commissioner said; staff said they expect a multi-year service life and annual maintenance rather than frequent full replacement.

Next steps: the county will finalize device contract terms with Siemens and return to the commission for final purchase approval; procurement and regulatory steps with Lighthouse will proceed immediately.