By Peter Marteka
The Hartford Courant
GLASTONBURY, Conn. — With officials reviewing how it provides ambulances and paramedics during emergencies — the current provider defended its longtime service to the town.
The Glastonbury Volunteer Ambulance Association has been providing ambulance service since 1957 according to president Heidi Heim. She said recently that it was “disheartening” to hear the town was looking into possibly changing services.
The state legislature recently approved legislation giving towns and cities more input into how they select their emergency medical service providers. Last month, Town Manager Richard J. Johnson began reviewing ambulance and paramedic services that haven’t changed much since the 1950s. The town is currently seeking proposals from companies that provide the services, including the association.
The town is served by the association and Ambulance Service of Manchester. Heim said the association has kept up with changes in emergency service since the time when it was run all by voluteers which left homes and work to respond to calls.
“Times have changed and injuries have changed,” she said during a recent town council meeting. “The population has changed. The association has worked to change with the needs of the community.”
During periods when the association can’t staff ambulances, the town depends on Vintech, an employment agency for emergency medical staff. The town is also served by paramedics from ASM although the association recently applied to the state to provide the service. Heim said about 30 percent of calls require paramedics.
“We’ve worked seemlessly with Vintech and AMS to present a unified front for the town,” she said.
Heim said the town pays very little for the service and both companies charge patients at state-approved rates. She noted that patients are only billed when they are transported -- about 70 percent of the calls. Robert Gursky said the only thing the town pays for is workman’s comp insurance and insurance on the vehicles.
He also noted that stipends for volunteers was cut by the town, but the association picked up the $30,000 expense. The association has a budget of $700,000 a year for the non-volunteer staffing and they purchase their own ambulances. He said the association also provides standby coverage at fire scenes and during the Apple Harvest Festival in October at no expense to the town.
“We have some of the lowest rates in the state and accept whatever payment the patient or insurance company can afford to pay,” he said.
Heim said there are few complaints about the service that responded to 2,700 incidents in 2013. She noted the service has responded to scenes with an 80 percent response time. The response time is less than eight minutes.
Resident Laura Quinn sent a letter to Johnson earlier this summer praising volunteers after her son broke his arm deep in the woods of South Glastonbury. She said volunteers were at the scene in 10 minutes putting his arm in a splint and giving him IV fluids. Crews took him out of the woods on an ATV.
“Each person we encountered that evening were volunteers,” she said Tuesday. “and part of our community. I was amazed and moved about the care. More importantly these are men and women who are familiar faces in our community and greatly valued by the citizens here in town.”
Council Chairman Stewart “Chip” Beckett III said that once the town has received proposals, perspective companies will be evaluated by the town council later this fall and determine if any changes are needed.
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©2014 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.)