Ambulance merger savings recognized

A countywide ambulance service could save property owners as much as 3 mills on their tax bills.
That was County Commissioner Dick Works’ assessment of information presented at a meeting of an Iola-Allen County committee to explore merger of the two governing bodies’ ambulance services Monday night.
The county spends about $1.3 million to provide service in all of the county but Iola and the expectation is that a single service would cost about the same.
County ambulance runs — 1,282 last year — produce something over $900,000 of needed revenue, and a levy of 2.739 mills raises about $270,000. The balance comes from the general fund.
The savings would occur, in Works’ opinion, by adding the $300,000 Iola garners in revenue from runs made by Iola ambulances within the city, and ending an $80,000 subsidy the county sends the city’s way. That money would become available if there was one countywide service.

RYAN SELL, representing Iola, gave the committee a snapshot of a countywide service operated through Iola’s fire department.
The fire chief would be at the top, with deputies responsible for business and logistics, operations and training and education. A medical director would oversee emergency medical services. Ambulances stationed in Iola, Humboldt and Moran would have supervisors.
All full-time personnel in the two services would be involved, Sell said.
With all together, EMS personnel would be cross-trained in firefighting techniques, though not necessarily as full-fledged firefighters. A first responder program would add to EMS capabilities.
The county’s ambulance station in Iola would be used for training and classes, with nearby grounds a possibility for structures to aid in training firefighters. The area would be open to all in the county and, Sell said, could lead to creation of a pool of potential employees for fire and EMS.
Sell noted Lawrence had a similar merger between fire and EMS departments 15 years ago and it could be used as model, drawing on what went well and avoiding pitfalls.
The proposal is “a working model,” Sell stressed, which, as Commissioner Tom Williams suggested, could be tweaked if it found favor.

TO DETERMINE better what might be possible, the outcome of Sell’s proposal was for the city to put together budgets that tell specifically what it costs to run its fire department and its ambulance service, as well as a countywide ambulance service by way of Iola’s proposal.
Works also had a proposal, which came in written form and didn’t lead to immediate discussion.
Works suggested a public service authority that he said would provide guiding principles for a countywide service. Direction would come from a seven-member board, similar to what is being done with the board of trustees for the hospital.
Board members would be nominated by cities and townships, with county commissioners ultimately selecting and appointing members.
Some particulars:
— Honor terms of employment, with no layoffs or wage reductions and excess positions reduced through attrition.
— No reduction in level of service.
— No city or township would be forced to accept fire services provided by the PSA.
A next step will be for the committee to digest numbers from the three budgets the city will provide, for fire, EMS and countywide EMS. When those numbers are in hand, the committee will meet again.