In 2021, the Utah Legislature passed House Bill 303, mandating all cities and counties have a minimum level of 911 ambulance service.
Park City Fire District Chief Bob Zanetti said that requires changes in Summit County.
“Since 2000, we’ve been providing service into the east side, and it was originally just a temporary position that we were going to do,” Zanetti said. “Here we are, 20-something years later, still providing service over there.”
Zanetti told the Summit County Council last year the fire district wasn’t being fairly compensated for its additional service on the east side.
Summit County is now proposing a new interlocal agreement with Park City as it looks to reinvent 911 service in the Coalville and Kamas areas.
Zanetti told the Park City Council Tuesday the new contract will push the east side of the county to strengthen their own independent ambulance services, rather than relying on Park City Fire.
“North Summit and South Summit have to get moving,” he said. “Their communities are growing. They want to go in that direction, they will go in that direction. They are going to increase their taxes over there. That means the west side of Summit County is not going to be paying for it anymore. That’s a good thing.”
A 300% tax increase for the North Summit Fire District was approved last year to increase staffing and pay for equipment upgrades.
The all-volunteer South Summit Fire District is a bit behind. Under the new agreement, it will need to either run its own ambulances, or more likely, contract with another EMS provider until it has the capacity to do so.
The Park City Council received the contract information shortly before the meeting and decided to delay its decision. Councilmember Becca Gerber expressed discomfort with the contract length of 20 years. She proposed a 5-year term.
Under the proposed agreement, each of the three fire districts would receive $1 million in funding from the county. Only Coalville and Henefer have signed the contract, which is set to take effect Jan. 1.
The sliver of Wasatch County near Jordanelle sandwiched within Summit County is a different matter, Zanetti said.
“They’re going to have to build a fire station up in that area, there’s no question about it,” he said. “That’s an incredible amount of unprotected real estate… I’m surprised they’re even able to get insurance. But that’s a whole other issue.”
The Park City Council will revisit the contract and could vote to approve it Thursday.
