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provides quality emergency medical care in the shadows of the San Juan Mountains.
Hinsdale County EMS
The team is made up of volunteers and employees:
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18 Volunteer Drivers and EMTs
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1 Full-Time Director
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1 Full-Time Chief Paramedic
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2 Part-Time Advanced EMT Captains
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1 Part-Time Emergency Vehicle Technician
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The Patients
The Patients
HCEMS serves year-round locals, seasonal residents, and visitors. In 2024, the team served more visitors than locals and residents, and that trend is continuing into 2025. See the chart below for a breakdown.
Insurance does not fully cover a patient's bill. Medicare (approx. 60% of Hinsdale patients) only pays for 40% of charges. This leaves a significant gap that HCEMS must fill with grants, donations, state subsidies, and Hinsdale County funds.
The Volunteers
HCEMS crew is made of community members who are passionate about caring for their neighbors, friends, family, and even complete strangers. They respond 24/7 around family time, careers, hobbies, and running businesses.
Each year, these community members collectively volunteer approximately 1,980 hours providing patient care and well over 800 hours attending training. Practicing skills is especially important for crew members to be prepared for low-frequency-high-risk medical emergencies.
The Impact
Visitor use of Hinsdale's EMS system has increased 295% since 2019. Implementing a dedicated 2% lodging tax would allow Lake City visitors to directly support the emergency medical services they use during their stay.
Did you know 8 of the busiest establishments in Hinsdale are run by HCEMS members and their families? The crew struggles to balance their livelihoods and response to 911 calls. As a result, HCEMS has to supplement volunteer hours with paid employees - a financial strain.
Patients Served
2019-2025
2019
21 Visitors
32 Residents
2020
39 Visitors
45 Residents
2021
49 Visitors
52 Residents
2022
52 Visitors
64 Residents
2023
47 Visitors
86 Residents
2024
83 Visitors
72 Residents
2025 (Jan-Aug)
58 Visitors
49 Residents
The Money
The cost of readiness - expenses incurred maintaining the ability to respond to emergencies when needed - doesn't come cheap. Even EMS agencies in Denver, running upwards of 122,194 calls annually, struggle to cover these costs with patient billing alone. Local call volume will never be able to support basic functioning of the EMS service. Grants, donations, and state subsidies help close the gap, but currently, Hinsdale County funds must cover the shortfall.
Increased use of 911 has stretched the capacity of HCEMS volunteers to cover medical emergencies. Hinsdale County has hired additional patient-care positions to mitigate that stress. This has resulted in an increased need for funding as well.
A dedicated lodging tax will provide protected funds to keep emergency medical care available in Lake City. This tax is focused on sharing the cost of readiness with Hinsdale's visitors to strengthen the agency's ability to serve both the community and visitor capacity.
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Contact us! hinsdaleessentialservices@gmail.com Paid for by Community Essential Services Committee