Eudora ? Eudora Emergency Medical Service is one step closer to being placed under the management of the Eudora fire chief.

The Eudora City Council voted 5-0 in favor of the move during a meeting Monday night.

Douglas County commissioners also must give their approval and are expected to do so at a meeting next week.

Eudora EMS has operated as its own entity for several years, responding to medical calls in the city of Eudora and Eudora Township. EMS personnel attend to patients until an ambulance from Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical arrives.

The medical service has been under the oversight of the county’s emergency medical director, Dr. Scott Robinson, and the fire and medical department.

The fire and medical department also provides equipment and training. That would continue, but Eudora Fire Chief Randy Ates would have daily management duties, including personnel decisions.

Eudora Mayor Tom Pyle said he thinks the move would benefit the community. The medical service still would respond to calls in both the city and township.

“You need to have a (department) head and I think our fire chief can do the job,” Pyle said.

The Eudora Township Board of Directors opposed moving the medical service under Ates and instead supported a proposal that would put the service under the township fire department.

The township fire department would operate under the county medical director. The township would take on many of the expenses, including equipment, training and gasoline costs. That proposal was outlined by Dustin McAfee, a member of the EMS and a township firefighter.

But county commissioners indicated they would vote with the Eudora council.

Commissioners, who attended the Eudora meeting, directed County Administrator Craig Weinaug to put the matter on the consent agenda for their Monday meeting. That would mean that commissioners would unanimously vote in favor of it unless one of them decides to pull it off the agenda for further discussion.

“I’ve heard nothing tonight that tells me we wouldn’t be better served by the bilateral agreement,” Commission Chairman Bob Johnson said.

Eudora Councilwoman Lori Fritzel said the agreement between the city and county should be reviewed after two years.

County and Eudora leaders began discussing the medical service several months ago. Weinaug and Robinson said they have been interested in taking steps to improve township medical services.

Robinson said after the meeting there had been “communication issues” of concern with Eudora EMS but declined to be more specific.

The Eudora Township board was initially a part of the agreement and was to pay for the costs of insurance and tags for the two vehicles EMS operates. Board members decided two months ago they did not want to participate in the agreement. The county now would take care of vehicle insurance costs.

Township board members said they support their township firefighters. Board member Jim Gabriel said he thinks the city wanted control of EMS without the township’s involvement.

McAfee has maintained that one of the main concerns of current EMS members is that they are not assured of continuing as volunteers under Ates. They must reapply for the service.

McAfee also said that many of the communication problems between EMS and Robinson were on Robinson’s side.