By M. Elizabeth Roman
Telegram & Gazette
Copyright 2007 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
FITCHBURG, Mass. — City councilors have given the Fire Department four weeks to prepare a proposal for city-run ambulance service in order to save five firefighters’ jobs from becoming casualties of the fiscal 2008 budget.
“We’ve already lost four positions through unfilled retirements, we demoted firefighters and had to take one engine out of service,” Fire Chief Kevin Roy said yesterday. “We will lose five more people if we don’t do the ambulance.”
Chief Roy and councilors have been advocating for a city-run ambulance service for some time, but Mayor Dan H. Mylott repeatedly panned the idea.
However, the current fiscal crisis has made him reconsider the ambulance as a revenue initiative.
“If it can’t be done in four weeks, it won’t be done at all,” Mr. Mylott said yesterday about the current initiative. “We believe it is possible. It is a good idea.”
In 2001, former Mayor Mary Whitney commissioned an Ambulance Research Committee to determine the feasibility of an ambulance service.
The committee found ambulance service to be an ever-changing situation for residents. Before 1950, patients were taken to hospital by police via panel-type vehicles called “wagons.” In 1954, the city bought its first ambulance and continued the city-run service until 1983. It was discontinued because of layoffs.
Currently, the Fire Department dispatches Patriot Ambulance to all emergency medical calls. Firefighters are trained as emergency medical technicians and are designated first responders.
Medical Billing Management of Topsfield, which provides billing services for the Leominster Fire Department ambulance service, did a projection for the 2001 report, estimating the city could collect about $1.9 million from billing.
In 2001, Chief Roy estimated it would cost about $1.1 million to run two ambulance trucks. The estimate was for leasing two trucks and represented base pay for personnel.
Councilor President Jody M. Joseph said the council would like to see a solid proposal with current numbers that show the enterprise breaking even the first fiscal year.
“There is not a ton of money in the ambulance service when they first start out,” Mr. Joseph said. “But down the line it should generate more.”
“We think we can make more down the road because firefighters can do ambulance work,” Chief Roy said.
He said he is hammering out details for the best bottom-line deal on a one-year contract with a private ambulance service. The contract may involve a leased vehicle and other support.
However, Chief Roy said the effort is also about giving residents the best patient care in the system.
“We need to get a balance for medical and fires,” he said. “We can move forward. It’s difficult when we are demoting people and laying people off. We are at a critical manning level. It won’t be easy, but we are going to do this the best we can.”