ANDOVER, NH — Starting today, Andover residents have a town-run ambulance service.
The Andover Rescue Squad, a private organization that has provided emergency medical services in Andover since 1966, became a town department at midnight. The move was okayed by the town meeting last month.
The new department is known as Andover Emergency Medical Services and reports to the board of selectmen. John Kinney, who was president of the rescue squad, becomes director of the department.
The squad will bill patients or their insurance carriers for treatment and transport.
A budget of $24,000 was set for the department this year, but it is expected to cover its expenses with revenue from billing and leftover money from the squad.
The EMS department remains an all-volunteer force, and residents should notice little change, said Town Administrator Dana Hadley.
“For the person out there, the citizen out there, it’s a seamless change,” Hadley said. “When they have an emergency, they’ll call 911 and the same people will come to take care of them.”
The old rescue squad will continue to exist on paper for several months as it winds down any legal obligations, Kinney said.
Andover is in talks with neighboring Franklin on a proposal for Franklin’s EMS personnel to provide daytime weekday service in Andover, but no agreement has been reached, Hadley said.
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