Paid Ambulance Service Debated Once Again
by Doug La Rocque
The Monday, October 12 session of the Grafton Town Board again saw some lengthy discussions on several topics, not the least of which is the proposal for a three town paid daytime ambulance service. There were really two components to that discussion, one being the feasibility of the proposed paid service, and the other being that the Grafton Rescue Squad is now covering Berlin as well.
First, the paid service – The Grafton Rescue Squad has proposed to provide paid basic life support from 6 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday, the times when it is the hardest to form a volunteer crew to answer calls. The Berlin Town Board is unanimously behind the proposal. There is however, some question about this when you talk about the Petersburgh and Grafton boards. Grafton Councilman Frank Lewandusky said at the Monday meeting that he has been talking to a member of the Petersburgh board (whom he later identified as Heinz Noeding) and stated he did not feel Petersburgh was prepared to move ahead with the proposal at this time. Following the meeting, The Eastwick Press asked Councilman Lewandusky if his comments were based solely on his discussions with Councilman Noeding, or if he had polled the entire Petersburgh board. He indicated he had only spoken to Councilman Noeding. The Eastwick Press then contacted three other members of the Petersburgh board, Town Supervisor Dennis Smith, Councilman and former Supervisor Alan Webster and Councilman Jack Barnhill. All three confirmed they are strongly behind the proposal but that they do want to see some preliminary cost figures and make sure Petersburgh’s portion of those costs is proportional to its population and takes into account the Town’s continuing expense to maintain its volunteer ambulance service. That service, like most all rural communities, often struggles to attract enough members to respond to calls.
During the meeting, Councilman Lewandusky presented a motion to stop the board from moving forward with the paid ambulance service at this time, which was seconded by Councilman Steve Beaudry. The motion was defeated three to two, with Supervisor Ingrid Gundrum, Councilman Jeff Wagar and Councilwoman Jodie Deschaine all voting no. Councilman Wagar said “I don’t know of a better way to spend money than on public safety.”
Councilman Lewandusky also indicated Grafton was bearing the brunt of Berlin no longer having an ambulance service (the Berlin Fire Department decided earlier this year to discontinue the service and surrendered its Certificate of Need, which was later picked up by the Grafton Rescue Squad), both financially and in the demand on personnel. He was asked by The Eastwick Press if he was aware the Berlin Town Board voted two months ago to pay the Grafton Rescue Squad $8,000 to defray its expenses for providing EMS service to the town.
Berlin Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger has confirmed the check is in the final processing stage.
Mr. Lewandusky responded he had read that, but that the town of Grafton was still paying for the fuel and any oxygen used for patients from Berlin. The Eastwick Press is filing a Freedom of Information request for the cost figures associated with these two items, to compare the billing before and after the Rescue Squad assumed responsibility for Berlin. Councilman Lewandusky also commented his position on the matter is driven by what he said is his conversations with town residents, most of whom he said were not in favor of the proposed paid service.
As to the Grafton Rescue Squad itself, Captain Joe Allain said, as asked, he had presented a budget request to the town that did not include the paid ambulance proposal, and that it was for $55,000, the same amount that was budgeted for this year. He also mentioned that as far as expenses go for a paid service, under New York State’s shared services program, each of the three towns would be eligible for a 75% rebate from the state, which would bring the total financial burden to the town down to about $15,000.
As far as the September volume of calls goes, Captain Allain said they received 15 calls. They were unable to form a crew three times, all during the daytime hours. There were eight calls for Grafton, five for Berlin and two for Petersburgh. The average time to the patient was 13 minutes, something Captain Allain felt was good, considering seven of the calls were out of town.
Grant Money
Supervisor Gundrum stated right up front at the opening of the meeting, the town has not yet received the $150,000 NYS grant for the new ambulance, in service for over a year now. Councilman Lewandusky said in his conversation with the Dormitory Association of the State of New York ( the agency that finalizes all state grants), they said they were still missing some needed documentation, particularly the vehicle’s registration and proof of insurance, a contention the councilman made three months ago. At that time, Supervisor Gundrum said all required documentation has been submitted, a contention she reaffirmed with The Eastwick Press on Wednesday morning.
The paid ambulance service proposal has also been given a $50,000 grant, secured by the Office of Assemblyman Jake Ashby. The status of that grant remains unknown.
Because of space consideration the rest of the town board meeting will appear in next week’s edition.