Area emergency medical services leaders say a shortage of paramedics will require a multipronged approach to fix. A fire department chief and the head of Central Emergency Medical Services said at the heart of the matter is Northwest Arkansas’ fast-growing population.
The Fayetteville-Rogers-Springdale-Bentonville metro area has more than doubled in the past 25 years, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The 1990 Census reflected a population of 239,464, and the latest estimates from 2016 show the region is now home to 525,032 people.
With that growth, the need for paramedic services is deepening.