SHERBURNE – Options for improving the Village of Sherburne’s Emergency Medical System are being examined, and in the future, the village may even look at including some paid employees.

EMS Chief Jay Symonds attended September’s meeting of the Village Board to discuss options for the future of the department. Alternatives have been in discussion for approximately 10 years, he explained after the meeting.

“It’s a regular problem for most EMS systems to get volunteers,” Symonds said. “As people get busier schedules and state requirements for emergency services get more stringent, it becomes harder and harder to find enough volunteers to cover the calls.”

Sherburne has relied heavily on mutual aid to help cover calls during the daytime hours when less paramedics are in service. Symonds explained that ambulances from Norwich, where the the department is paid, are often called to cover the area.

Symonds told the board about different options available that would make the department a self-sufficient service with coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We had a meeting with the fire department to plan how we’d like to see this go. We threw out a couple different options,” he told the board.