BONDURANT, Iowa — Last weekend, Bondurant's emergency services department transitioned from having a volunteer-heavy staff to relying on paid, full-time employees.
For decades, smaller communities like Bondurant have struggled to find volunteers to staff its emergency services department.
"This is the right thing to do," emergency services director Aaron Kreuder told Local 5 News. "It's the right move forward, it's the next step to that professionally staffed department. It's that next step to doing the right thing for the community."
Currently, Bondurant has six full-time firefighter/paramedics, and Krueder said he plans to hire three more paid, full-time employees to the department in the next few months.
The money to pay for these employees will come from the city's budget, Krueder added.
As for the current volunteers, Bondurant is still offering them positions within the EMS department.
"Where I struggled with the most initially at first was, 'Man, I don't want to fire these people, these people are dedicating their time and coming in,'" Krueder explained. "The last thing I want to do is be that guy who closes the door in their face and says: 'You're not wanted anymore.' Because that is totally false. If they were good enough to volunteer for us, they're good enough to work part-time for us. So all of them have been given the option to come onboard as part time."
These part-time EMS employees will help Krueder continue to respond to calls quicker as calls for emergency sent into the department have increased by the year, due to the city's recent population growth.
A new emergency services building for Bondurant is also currently under construction. The department told Local 5 News it will be ready to move into by the end of 2025.