South Kingstown has received a $1 million grant from the state of Rhode Island to build a third Emergency Medical Services station to better respond to an increase in call volume.
The new station will be built off of Ministerial Road, on land bought by the town from the South Kingstown Land Trust. Totaling 3,000 square feet, the station will provide space for sleeping quarters, administration and a new transport vehicle. The new vehicle will be vital, Chief of South Kingstown EMS Craig Stanley said.
South Kingstown currently has two EMS transport vehicles. The new vehicle will not only help response times, but also decrease town reliance on outside aid, Stanley said.
Gov. Dan McKee awarded the town $1 million to build the station, the maximum for local projects. Funding came from the Municipal Public Safety Infrastructure Grant Program, funded by State Fiscal Recovery Funds, according to a March 25 press release from Gov. McKee’s office.
The funds for the SFRF were authorized by the federal American Rescue Plan Act passed in 2021, otherwise known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package. As of August 2023, Rhode Island used $350 million of these funds, according to an Aug. 24, 2023 press release from Gov. McKee’s office.
The station has been in the works since 2022, when previous Town Manager Terry Murphy was authorized by the town council to enter into a sales and purchase agreement with the South Kingstown Land Trust.
An increase in call volume, aging population and failure to consistently meet call response times have been a problem since March 2022, Stanley said. As of this year , South Kingstown EMS has 22 full time and 10 per diem personnel to handle the population of almost 32,000.
EMS standard response time is eight minutes and 59 seconds, with the goal to meet that time 90% of all calls, according to a 2022 EMS presentation. South Kingstown EMS meets industry standard response 55% of the time.
In densely populated areas of South Kingstown like Wakefield, EMS is consistently meeting industry standard response times, Stanley said. The more rural areas in town are the most underserviced.
Understaffing will also be addressed, Stanley said. The new station will bring in eight new employees. With the addition of a new station, resources will be added to those rural towns.
Aside from scarce resources, increased call volume is another main factor in subpar call response times, Stanley said. The average of 11 to 17 calls per 24 hour period has increased to 17 to 23 per 24 hour period, according to a 2022 statistic shared by the EMS department.
Call volume for South Kingstown EMS went up 8% last year, Stanley said.
South Kingstown’s aging population is also increasing call volume. A March 28, 2022 statistic shared by the EMS department reported that citizens aged 60-89 represent 55.92% of all EMS calls.
For more information on South Kingstown EMS, visit their website, / www.southkingstownri.gov/619/Emergency-Medical-Services .