Hinsdale County Commissioners held a Special Workshop on Tuesday, April 21 to discuss the possibility of contracting with Reuben Farnsworth of Rockstar Education and Consulting to assist Hinsdale County EMS through a transition period following the resignation of Chief Paramedic Brad Jones.
Hinsdale Commissioners Kristie Borchers and Robert Hurd attended the meeting in person, Commissioner Greg Levine attending the workshop remotely via Zoom.
EMS Director Katherine Heidt was also present in the meeting room, while EMS Medical Director Dr. Avery MacKenzie and Rueben Farnsworth attended virtually.
Chief Paramedic fill-in.
Following introductions, Farnsworth recited an impressive list of qualifications and accomplishments, most relevant to the discussion being his decades of experience working on the Western Slope as a Paramedic and his experience educating Basic and Advanced EMTs.
MacKenzie stated she has worked with Farnsworth for many years and seemed pleased the Commissioners were contemplating bringing him in to support the Hinsdale EMS system.
Responding to comments and questions from the Board, Farnsworth noted he had already consulted with Heidt about shared priorities, with the number one priority being to make sure Hinsdale County has good solid coverage over the upcoming summer season.
He went on to talk about ideas to get the current EMT students on the verge of graduating the practical experience they need to qualify for their certification.
Farnsworth indicated he is contemplating how to grow relationships with regional partners and develop some type of paramedic sharing program that could benefit a number of the smaller systems in the mountain region. The first order of business, he said, is to move Hinsdale from BLS (Basic Life Support) to ALS (Advanced Life Support) as quickly as possible.
Commissioners and MacKenzie went back and forth with ideas as to the scope of work they will want from Farnsworth but left much to be hammered out in Executive Session on Wednesday, April 22, including compensation.
In the early afternoon special meeting and workshop on April 22, following the board’s regular meeting in the morning, Commissioners hosted Farnsworth in person during an executive session held for the purposes of negotiation.
Before adjourning the meeting, Borchers announced there will be another special meeting commencing 9 a.m., Wednesday, April 29, to review the potential contract.
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