There will be a transfer of power at the beginning of the year for Perryton’s EMS System to help reduce staffing shortages.

“With the new service, with additional personnel and better staffing levels that they’ll be able to have plenty of folks to be able to provide the basic services in town at all times,” said David Landis, Perryton city manager.

Beginning January 1, Perryton’s EMS will transfer from a joint fire and EMS service over to the Ochiltree General Hospital with a third-party contractor.

“Here medicine is all we do, and so there is going to be a number of logistical and operational stream linings that we do by having it under the hospital. By aligning with that vision of health care for the community, I think EMS here will flourish over the next few years,“ said Jonathan Sell, Ochiltree General Hospital EMS director.

According to Sell, the EMS system will stay in the hands of the tax payers with just a transfer of operations.

The third-party contractor will be responsible for the hiring and training.

“By having that third party, we get to extrapolate some of the advantages of kind of a corporate side of things. We get some freedom in how we move and how we hire and fire that government agencies don’t always get,” said Sell.

Landis says this decision comes following the 2023 tornadoes when city, county and hospital officials saw the need for additional EMS services.