‘THE BEST PLACE WE’VE EVER BEEN’; DERAMUS REPORTS FULL STAFFING AND HIGH REVENUE FOR EMS DEPT.

  

Washington County EMS Director Kevin Deramus says the EMS Department is performing at a historically high level.

During his fourth quarter report at commissioners court on Tuesday, Deramus said the department is fully-staffed and is generating enough revenue to cover approximately four-fifths of its own operations, meaning taxpayers have less to cover for.  He said that in his 20-year tenure as director with Washington County EMS, from a financial and operational standpoint, he believes the department has reached a new peak.

According to Deramus, EMS projected $9.1 million in revenue for 2025 and generated $9.15 million, a 10 percent increase in revenue from 2024.  He said the department budgeted roughly $11.2 million for the year, so revenue takes care of 82 percent of the budget and residents pay for the rest.  In comparison, he said many of the nation’s top EMS agencies have a 60/40 percent split, and the taxpayers are on the hook for the 60 percent.

Additionally, Deramus said the county wrote off $206,000 in air expenses for county residents, who do not have to pay the costs left after insurance.  He said the EMS air program logged 333 flights in 2025, down from 360 in 2024, and that approximately 1 percent of EMS patients are flown. 

One point of concern for Deramus was the rising number of calls for EMS, coming in at 10,605 last year, up from 9,211 in 2024.  He said the increase was driven by more accident calls requiring an ambulance response.

Even with the increase in calls, Deramus said the department is in a strong position to handle them.  He said the department underwent a multi-year effort to adjust hiring philosophies, shifting to an emphasis on finding candidates with a “Humble, Hungry and Smart” mindset who were wanting to stay local and willing to put in the effort to learn, rather than only searching for candidates who already had the prerequisite credentials.  He said this, combined with merit-based incentives, has led to greater success with recruiting and retention despite other neighboring EMS agencies paying more. 

Click here to view the agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting.