COLUMBUS — The prospect of the Columbus Fire Department taking on the responsibility of providing emergency medical services under the supervision of a full-time fire chief appears to be less likely following Tuesday night's committee of the whole council session.

"We're absolutely not in a position to start such a huge venture. I don't think we're in a position to provide the facility," council member Jenny Perkins said. "It's a great idea — it's too far in the future."

Member Tyler Walker said the council was "hit" with the idea suddenly at its July 29 meeting. Member Roger Sneath went further, saying that session was intended to be a planning meeting which was "hijacked" by CFD officers.

Acting Columbus Fire Chief Mark Kenevan and other officers from the department told the council on July 29 that they would like to see the fire department become a fire/emergency medical services department — complete with a full-time fire chief.

The conclusion was reached after members of the fire department met with Dodge County Sheriff Todd Nehls earlier that month  and then looked over future possibilities with former Beaver Dam fire chief George Sheets.

The city previously ran EMS out of the fire department prior to contracting the service out.

Heartline Medix's contract with the city expires on June 30, 2009.

The officers were hoping that a full-time chief's position would be viable due to the movement of the EMS and emergency management money to the fire department in the city budget. The basic concept also includes the idea that the department could gain revenue by running an ambulance service.

In August, City Administrator Boyd Kraemer set four possibilities before the council regarding future EMS protection. They were: a city EMS service, possibly run from within the fire department; having EMS run by Columbus Community Hospital; having Columbus' EMS needs covered by the Fall River EMS; and sending out requests for proposals from third-party EMS providers.

The council had decided to have requests for proposals sent to third-party service providers, and also supports continued discussion on the subject of cooperation with Fall River. Kraemer is to report back to the council regarding progress in these areas before the end of September.

Sneath pushed on Tuesday night for the city to return to its strong council/weak mayor system, and stressed that the city cannot handle the risk of providing EMS services out of the fire station.

"Not all the department members are in favor of it," Kenevan told the council Tuesday night. "Not all the firefighters are EMTs, not all of them want to be."

Kenevan said he thought, however, that this council was going to "start moving forward and making wise decisions."

"I don't think it's happening right now," he stated.

"Your remarks are insulting us," council member Darrell Augustine said to Kenevan. "That we don't do anything? Come on."

Augustine said the city has no money to make the move in 2009 and called the project "a future venture."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said.

Fire department administrative assistant Linda Damm told the council that the department wants to submit a request for proposal to the city, and that Columbus Community Hospital might be able to store the ambulances if the fire department takes on the EMS duties.

"If things go wrong, the city doesn't have the capacity to pay for it," Sneath said after the meeting. "There is less risk buying the service than running the service."

"Do we have the capacity to fund problems if things go wrong, and to buy the equipment and fund the training to get the service up and running?" Sneath asked after the meeting. "There is so much business risk if things go wrong. We don't have the capacity to recover."