West DSM News

The workload for the Dallas County Emergency Medical Service has effectively quadrupled during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though calls are up by only one a day, The Perry News reported.

Part of the reason is that EMS crews have to disinfect between calls, sterilizing their bodies, clothing and ambulances, EMS director Mike Thomason told the newspaper.

“It takes about a half-hour for the crew to shower, wash their clothes and wash the trucks after every call,” he said. “So now we’re looking at a two-hour turnaround time in Adel and an hour in Perry.”

The county has four ambulances, 45 paramedics and EMTs, with headquarters in Perry and Adel, the story said.

Crews are taking more trips to metro hospitals and fewer to Dallas County Hospital, Thomason said.

“Plus we’re transporting to Des Moines more often now because of COVID, so we’re looking at an hour-and-a-half to a two-hour turnaround time in Perry,” the director said. “So even if our call volume stays the same, our time on task doubles because of the clean up. If your time on task doubles and your call volume increases even by one, it almost acts like a four-times call volume.”