CAFD aims to reduce calls with new position

Residents within the Cloquet Area Fire District boundaries will see increased ambulance rates and potentially a new community risk reduction officer since the CAFD board unanimously approved both at its Nov. 15 meeting.

The CAFD board voted to increase ambulance rates by about 3 percent to align with inflation and Medicare reimbursement increases. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the rate hike will add between $50 and $100 to an ambulance bill, depending on the level of care needed. CAFD chief Jesse Buhs said the increase will place CAFD in the median range for ambulance services in the northern part of the state.

“I will just reiterate that we’re going based off best practice, based off recommendation from our third-party billing company, and then also our comparables to other ambulance agencies that are within our geographical area,” assistant chief Corey Larson told the Pine Knot.

The CAFD had a record year-to-date call volume and the highest call volume for the month of October in six years. Some 219 of the 326 calls that month were medical.

Buhs said call volume is the biggest driver of costs to the district.

“For every call that we can reduce or prevent, it’s a cost savings to the district,” he said.

While Buhs said there is no overarching driver of the increased call volume, he told the district board that staff handled the increase well, and there were no major concerns about response times or injuries.

New position

District officials hope a new community risk reduction officer will reduce some of those calls through education and home safety visits. Fewer calls means better community outcomes and lower costs.

“We’re also hoping that this individual is going to make an impact on our EMS- and medical-related calls,” Larson said, mentioning fall prevention as one way to minimize risk associated with emergencies. “[Then] we’re doing more on the front end in comparison to being on the back end after that call is actually initiated.”

However, Larson said the biggest area the district wants to impact is structure fires. The new community risk reduction officer would be tasked with educating the community about smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and anything that can be done to reduce fire risk.

The new position will replace the education position, which had been vacant for nearly two years. Some job duties had been performed by paid on-call members, but “the bulk of the work” hasn’t gotten done, Larson said.

“Chief Buhs and I wanted to do our due diligence and really evaluate the program and evaluate the needs of the community prior to filling it, and that’s why there’s been a delay as far as actually getting that filled,” Larson said.

Buhs hopes to have the position filled in early 2024 after an internal and external search for a good candidate. Although the chief told the board he couldn’t guarantee the cost of the position would be completely offset by its work, he said the goal is to make an impact on community health and the cost of operations.

Larson added that the position has been budgeted for in 2024, and had been budgeted for in 2023, and therefore will not require a levy increase to fund the position.

Levy increases coming

The CAFD board is considering levy increases for fire and ambulance, of 2.99 percent and 2.83 percent, respectively.

Buhs said the levy increase will allow the district to cover the costs of its operational expenses, including things that have increased due to inflation: various types of insurance, operating supplies, capital purchases, fuel staff costs and more.

CAFD board members will discuss the details of the levy at a public tax hearing at 6 p.m. Dec. 7 in the Carlton County government services building (formerly Cloquet City Hall) at 1307 Cloquet Ave.