Union Ambulance Committee Backs Re-Chassis of Rescue 1

The Ambulance Advisory Committee recommended re-chassis of Rescue 1 at an estimated $250,000, with the price locked in once the town commits. Members also discussed moving toward multi-year contracts among Union, Appleton, and Washington, and putting leftover revenue into a reserve account rather than returning it to the towns.

Key points

• The committee voted to recommend proceeding with re-chassis of Rescue 1; Tom Jardine made the motion and it was seconded, with no stated opposition.
• Jesse Thompson said the re-chassis cost is about $250,000 and could rise, but the price locks in once the town commits; the work takes roughly six months.
• Washington representative Kate Grinnell said her town is familiar with three-year contracts and could support a three-year deal, possibly five years, with a percentage cap on increases.
• Grinnell raised questions from Washington residents about ownership and whether Appleton and Washington would share in proceeds if a jointly funded vehicle were sold.
• The committee discussed creating an equipment and vehicle reserve account to cover shortfalls instead of asking towns for surprise money; Grinnell said offsetting town assessments should remain an option once reserves reach a healthy level.
• Thompson said the department does not bill for non-transport calls such as lift assists or cardiac arrests where the patient dies, though it does bill car insurance for crash assessments.

Next steps

• Thompson will ask Todd to forward the current ambulance service contract to the full committee.
• Thompson and Todd plan to attend a Washington select board meeting, with a possible public question-and-answer session, and will notify members of upcoming board visits.
• The committee will seek a select board member from Appleton as an alternate member, and Washington will look to fill its open seat.
• The next meeting was set for Thursday, December 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Read the full transcript