COLUMBUS - The prospect of the Columbus Fire Department providing emergency medical services under the supervision of a full-time fire chief appears unlikely for now.

At Tuesday's committee-of-the-whole City Council session, member Tyler Walker said the Council was "hit" with the idea suddenly at its July 29 meeting. Member Roger Sneath went further, saying the session was intended to be a planning meeting that was "hijacked" by CFD officers.

"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."

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 city previously ran EMS services out of the fire department prior to contracting out the service. Heartline Medix's contract with the city expires June 30, 2009.

The officers said they hoped a full-time chief's position would be viable because of the movement of the EMS and emergency management money to the fire department in the city budget.

Sneath said that the city cannot handle the risk of providing EMS services out of the fire station.

"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."

Kenevan told the Council that not all the department members are in favor of the plan.

"Not all the firefighters are EMTs," he said. "Not all of them want to be."