Milford Hopes to Salvage Something from M-TEMS Pullout
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
MILFORD – Even if they can’t keep an ambulance in Milford, town officials and residents are hoping to salvage something from Multi-Township EMS’ pullout in January.
Council President Bob Cockburn said Monday he hopes they can reach an agreement with M-TEMS to keep some form of service in town after the ambulance is removed. One idea raised is that a medical technician be posted in town for at least eight hours a day.
About 40 residents had raised concerns during a special meeting Aug. 22 over the decision, which was announced in July. Among fears expressed were that the school and senior rehabilitation center would be endangered by the extra two minutes in average response time.
Milford, as well as Van Buren and Jefferson townships, will be served from M-TEMS’ Leesburg base. In their notice, M-TEMS directors cited an operating loss of $342,000 per year by keeping an ambulance in Milford as one of their reasons for the change.
Milford officials reaffirmed their disappointment Monday. Van Buren advisory board member Bill Troup, who attended the meeting, also questioned M-TEMS’ recommendation that Syracuse EMS serve the northeast area of Van Buren.
“I think they’re trying to pull something without people knowing anything about it, and I’m not happy with it,” Cockburn said. But “at this point our options are few.”
Councilman Doug Ruch acknowledged that keeping an ambulance in Milford was not part of the original 2005 contract with M-TEMS, but that “the powers-that-be deemed it necessary.” Ruch and Troup said they plan to represent their areas at the M-TEMS directors meeting Wednesday.
Also during the Aug. 22 meeting, the council voted to spend $85,386 on a utility truck from Weirs International. The council learned Monday that they can expect the vehicle around Christmas.
Weirs and McCormick Motors had resubmitted quotes on a truck and attachments package after the council’s request at their last regular meeting. Hoosier Trailer and Truck, whose representative raised the objection that lead to the resubmission, did not present a quote.
Also Monday, the council voted to hire Masco Metal to install a steel roof on the town fire department for $17,550; and agreed to buy 150 stop signs for about $6,000. They are in the process of replacing all stop signs in town with reflective ones.
