Citing Huge Losses, MTEMS Plans to Move Milford Ambulance
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
MILFORD – Injured residents will have to wait an average of two extra minutes for help when the town ambulance is moved away next year.
Multi-Township EMS directors announced the change in a July 20 letter to the Milford Town Council, read during the meeting Monday and received with serious concern. Citing an operating loss of $342,000 per year by keeping an ambulance in Milford, directors say they will serve Milford, Van Buren and Jefferson townships from Leesburg starting Jan. 1.
In the letter, directors say the Leesburg station is in better shape than Milford’s and is better equipped to handle a full-time crew. They also state a current response time of 3:47 minutes to Milford and Van Buren and 7 minutes to Jefferson, which will increase to 6:03 and 9:06 for an ambulance based in Leesburg, six miles south.
Two extra minutes could mean life or death, town council members and department heads said.
“I think as a community, the ambulance service is important to us,” said councilman Doug Ruch, representative to MTEMS for Milford, Van Buren and Jefferson. “Two to three minutes may or may not be an issue, but if I’m lying there having a heart attack from a bad meeting, I want as fast a response as possible.”
“I’m deeply concerned. ’Til you’re a victim, you don’t know how long that seems,” remarked Milford Police Marshal Rich Miotto. “I get very emotional about that. A minute feels like an hour when you need help.”
Councilman Gary Hurd asked what happens when an ambulance is needed in Milford but is already out on a call. He also questioned the directors’ figures of $500,000 to staff an ambulance while only taking in $158,000 in subsidies and billing.
“They’re losing how many dollars a year? Half a million to staff an ambulance? I’d like to see that itemized,” Hurd said. “All of a sudden they’re losing an awful lot of money? I don’t like that, the way this has come down on us.”
Milford pays $18,000 a year for its share in MTEMS, which comes directly from the town budget. The town had its own ambulance service until 2006, and sold its ambulance to MTEMS.
Brian Haines, chief of Milford’s volunteer fire department, told the council his members are hesitant to increase their role as first responders, as suggested in the MTEMS letter. Having to leave work at a moment’s notice for even more calls may cost some of them their jobs, he said.
Council members agreed they would not put their firefighters in that position.
Council and department heads agreed to attend MTEMS’ meeting Wednesday, then discuss their options during a special town meeting Aug. 22 starting at 6 p.m. They said they hope representatives from Jefferson and Van Buren will also attend.
MTEMS administrator is Mel Tucker. Operations manager is Scott T. Sigerfoos, and clinical manager is Mark Pepple.
