Thirty emergency medical technicians and paramedics who respond to 911 calls across Fremont County, Wyoming are routinely working 72 hours a week or more just to keep ambulances staffed. These are the people who show up when someone's heart stops, when a car crashes on a rural highway, when a child can't breathe — and many of them say they earn less than they would at a fast food counter.

"Our people are out here saving lives, helping others, and making less that I could going to work at McDonalds," said Dominick Sapien, president of United Steel Workers (USW) Local 9012, the union representing these first responders.

The EMTs organized as a union specifically to fight for better pay and safer staffing levels. But the Fremont County Board of Commissioners is now considering letting the current ambulance contract expire in favor of a new provider that will not recognize their union at all. If that happens, these workers lose their seat at the table right as burnout and understaffing are putting patient care at risk.

Overworked EMTs can't sustain 72-hour weeks indefinitely without something breaking — either the workers themselves or the quality of care Fremont County residents depend on in an emergency. Fair wages and reasonable schedules aren't extras; they're what keeps ambulances on the road and paramedics sharp when it matters most.

Fremont County commissioners should require any new ambulance contract to guarantee fair pay, safe staffing levels, and the EMTs' right to organize — not strip away the only leverage these workers have to demand better conditions.

Sign the petition to demand fair pay and safe staffing for Fremont County's EMTs — before burnout costs someone their life.