Economic realities may force city and county directors to develop one ambulance service — at last.
At Friday’s meeting of the Ambulance Advisory Committee, members agreed to ask city and county directors to develop a plan to merge the two services.
Sheriff Tom Williams made the proposal, which calls for Ron Conaway, a registered nurse and firefighter who directs Iola’s service, and Jason Nelson, Allen County ambulance director, to resolve differences and “come back with a plan.”
“Let’s have the two services (directors) come up with a hybrid plan that’s good for all of Allen County, and get over the animosity,” Williams said.
Conaway said he had been working on a merger and welcomed the opportunity to work with Nelson. Nelson, too, embraced the proposal.
Budget figures for 2013 for the two services are about $2.3 million, including $1.3 million for the county’s.
When all services were together, with volunteers operating ambulances from Humboldt and Moran, cost was $260,000 in 2006. The next year, with paid crews operating ambulances, including Iola firefighters/emergency medical technicians, cost increased to $1.22 million.
Inflation would be a factor, but with one service the supposition is cost would be in the range of what the county has budgeted for 2013.
Jason Nelson, county director, said as much earlier this year when he proposed that with current county ambulances and crews he could cover all of the county at no additional cost.
FOR 30 YEARS Allen County had one service with volunteers in Humboldt and Moran operating ambulances, and firefighters, trained as emergency medical technicians, operating those dispatched from Iola’s fire department.
That changed about five years ago when the county opted to take full control, with its employees operating from the three towns, a move that led to Iola starting its own service.
The county continued to provide an ambulance subsidy of $80,000 a year to Iola, which now comes from county general fund coffers and isn’t reflected in its ambulance budget line item.
In spring 2009, at the behest of new county commissioners Gary McIntosh and Rob Francis, efforts were made to reach some accord that would put all ambulances again under one thumb. Efforts failed.
At the start of this year, county commissioners appointed a committee, with representatives from throughout the county, to tackle the issue once more.
When no headway was forthcoming, committee members asked for the state to take a look, and an 85-page report resulted.
In the Board of Emergency Services report, strengths and weaknesses of each service were outlined, and figures concerning operations, expenses and revenue were illuminated.
