Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
LEESBURG - The "volunteer" Plain Township EMS group has turned over the ambulance keys to Multi-Township EMS.
Following on the heels of the Lake Township contract with Multi-Township, Plain Township Trustee Jerry Kammerer decided to contract the Warsaw-based service, too.
Township trustees provide health care service to residents. Escalating costs to maintain the service began to concern Kammerer.
"We spent $182,000 (in salary and maintenance) in 2005," said Kammerer. "Although it's a volunteer organization, only the first six hours are 'volunteer,' after that we paid employees hourly."
The contract between the trustee's office and Multi-Township is $150,000 this year, a savings for the township.
The volunteer service had seven or eight emergency medical technicians and drivers. The EMTs with advance life service credits have been hired by Multi-Township. They'll be paired with a paramedic in the Plain Township base.
The Leesburg base, at Base Line Road and Armstrong Road, will be dispatched as Multi-Township North, according to Multi-Township's director Carla Gebert.
"We've had a good service," said Kammerer, "and I want to thank everyone who has volunteered for the service. We're very proud of our facilities and want to continue on with the service.
"I want the whole township to be advised of what's going on. We've sold the EMS equipment and ambulances to Multi-Township; we furnish the building and utilities."
The trustee's office paid Multi-Township for every dual run, which averaged 10 to 12 runs a month. State law requires paramedics to be dispatched to suspected heart problems, shortness of breath and to road accidents.
Craig Carlton, who serves on the advisory board and is a long-time volunteer fireman, said people objected to having two ambulances arriving at their homes.
"It was a complaint, receiving two (ambulance) bills was a complaint, too," Charlton said.
Plan Township's district is from CR 200W to CR 400E and from CR 800N to CR 200N and they covered half of Prairie Township.
