By Ronn Rowland
Muskogee Phoenix
MUSKOGEE COUNTY, Okla. — Muskogee County began offering a free ambulance service last April to any resident in the county.
The service is funded through the passage of a public sales tax vote in January.
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Muskogee County Emergency Medical Services Executive Director Laurel Havens said everything has gone off with no problems.
“It’s been good,” Havens said. “We’re up 7.1% over last year. We haven’t had any major issues at all. We’ve had patients call and ask if the ambulance is free and they need an ambulance.”
The sales tax not only funds the ambulance service but a new joint public service facility that will house Muskogee County EMS, Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee County Emergency Management, Muskogee County Call Center and part of Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office and Muskogee Fire Department.
Other items funded by the sales tax are:
- New Muskogee fire station on York Street, renovations to other Muskogee fire stations, and five new fire trucks for Muskogee.
- New vehicles, radios and equipment for Muskogee Police, Muskogee Fire, Muskogee County Sheriff.
- New joint public safety facilities, new police and fire vehicles and equipment for Haskell, Fort Gibson and Warner, planned $4 million for each community.
- Emergency ambulance runs at no cost to patients living within Muskogee County.
- New radios for volunteer fire departments within the county.
“Right now, the only things we have purchased are the radios and a fire truck,” Havens said.
Progress is also being made on the public service facility.
“They’re putting up the fence right now,” Havens said. “They’re starting to move equipment in.”
Bids on the facility were supposed to go out last week but an unavoidable circumstance delayed the bidding.
“Everything was on schedule and going good, but the owner of the architect firm died,” Havens said. “That put us back a couple of weeks. We’re still planning going out for bids this month, and opening those bids and starting construction in February.”
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