Seneca County EMS receives Training and Equipment Grant
Seneca County Emergency Services Director Ken Majors said the grant can be used to purchase various pieces of equipment and to fund training.
“Every year we use this grant to its maximum benefit to ensure that our equipment is top-notch and state-of-the-art to help us push for the best outcomes for all of our patients,” he said.
Majors said federal funding coupled with grants like this one have helped SCEMS to purchase updated equipment.
He said batteries, heart monitors, AutoPulse machines and emergency medical technician training are examples of approved uses for the funds.
Majors said in most years the county receives the grant, which can be between $500 and $15,000. This year, applications were released by ODPS on Feb. 1 and Majors submitted the county’s application on Feb. 2.
Majors said the amount disbursed is based on need, and in most years the county receives about $5,000.
He said he intends to use the funding on equipment.
“The training aspect is what I’d like to use it on, but we don’t have a huge need since there are not many people signing up to go to school,” Majors said. “Since they’re not, we’re focused on providing the equipment and resources to our existing personnel so we can have the latest and greatest equipment on the market to take care of our patients in the best way that we can.”
Majors said SCEMS has spent every dime of grant funding it has received since he has been with the organization. The funds for this grant must be spent by the end of 2021.
Seneca County Commissioner Mike Kerschner said since he took office in 2014, Majors and the EMS office have received several grants, bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars into the county.
“It’s always good to see our department heads and elected officials putting in extra work to secure outside funding,” he said. “Ken and the Seneca County EMS team have done exemplary work over the years, securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funds.”
Since 2018, Seneca County EMS has received nearly $80,000 in grant funding, in addition to a 2016 grant that helped the agency purchase three new ambulances via the Local Government Safety Grant. The program provided $336,358 to the department, which was paired with $115,000 of local funding to purchase the new vehicles.
Majors said he and his staff plan to continue seeking outside funding so the department can do its best to protect the people of Seneca County.
“Every grant we receive helps our volunteers and paid personnel to do the best job that they can in our mission to protect against the unnecessary loss of life and/or quality of life,” he said.
