By Aaron Snyder
The Daily Independent
GREENUP, Ky. — Sitting in the front row, Greenup County Attorney Matthew Warnock joked to those nearby that Judge-Executive Bobby Hall should’ve charged admission into Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting.
The standing-room-only crowd was anticipating a groundbreaking announcement.
By a 3-1 vote, Hall and the commissioners approved upon first reading an ordinance creating a countywide ambulance service — the Greenup County Ambulance Authority.
“Today, July 11, 2023, is a historic day,” Hall said. “In just a few minutes, the fiscal court will make a life-saving decision.”
A taxing district ambulance service is already established in seven Greenup County cities: Greenup, Wurtland, Worthington, Raceland, Russell, Flatwoods and Bellefonte.
This new service will cover the remainder of the county — more than 300 square miles that does not currently have guaranteed ambulance service.
According to Hall, that sprawling area consisting of unincorporated communities depends on Portsmouth Ambulance, which is a private ambulance service that responds when available.
“Greenup County will no longer be held hostage by a private ambulance service,” Hall said.
King’s Daughters Medical Center has been a big help, too, said the judge-executive.
Five Greenup County schools are included in this impacted area, too, as well as numerous “Branches,” “Forks” and “Creeks” throughout the spacious county.
Hall rattled off a few of those examples.
“What is the response time at this very moment to the areas I just mentioned?” Hall posed the question. “Let me answer for you ... too long.”
Hall said the average response time is 45 minutes to an hour in some places, and it’s sometimes worse.
“It is time to make a decision to save lives and help people in this county,” Hall said.
Earnie Duty II voted against accepting the ordinance because of the accompanying tax burden, he said.
Duty said he’s been a proponent of the countywide ambulance service since he first entered Greenup County politics in 2014, “and we never could get it off the ground.”
He emphasized that he is 100% for the service, but he was ultimately against the proposal because of the process by which it was implemented.
“It will inevitably result in an additional tax burden on our constituents,” Duty said.
Duty said his vote is “not a reflection for the support of the service itself,” but that he wanted to give “the power to the people.”
Hall contended that he and the court were doing just that by following through on a campaign promise.
“We’re 1 1/2 years away if we put it on the ballot in November (2024) if we’re lucky,” Hall said. “If we move forward on this today, we can sign a contract this afternoon for three new ambulances. If we do not do that, it’ll be seven months to a year and a half before we can get those ambulances.”
Later, Duty and Commissioner Derrick Bradley both agreed that the tax shouldn’t be overwhelming. For instance, Duty said, with his valued $140,000 home in an unincorporated community, the tax would be about $140 a year, to which Bradley added, “That’s basically the price of a Netflix subscription.”
After the ordinance passed, Hall showed a certificate of need from Frankfort to those gathered.
“This is a must for us to move forward,” Hall said. “We can’t have a Greenup County Ambulance Authority without this.”
Greenup County E911 Public Safety Director Buford Hurley echoed Hall in that it was a “historic moment.”
“Having those ambulances available for a call, and that’s all they’re there for ... in the end, when you need an ambulance, having them available, it’s a matter of life and death,” Hurley said. “You will save lives with what you did today.”
Coroner Neil Wright said he’s navigated the county roads for almost 37 years, “and I’ve been looking for ambulances for 37 years. ... Today was a great step.”
Hired last month, Ambulance Director Kevin Callihan requested bids on three brand new type-3 ambulances, which are to be delivered within the next 30 days, and then he also requested bids on three type-1 ambulances, which are to be delivered within the next 12 months.
Both were made into motions and passed unanimously.
Hall said the estimated cost of three type-3 ambulances would be about $600,000.
Callihan became an EMT in 1992, and by 1994, he was working in Greenup County as a paramedic.
All told, he has 31 years in EMS — including 23 on the ground, five in the air and three as a business executive for an air medical service.
In order for this to be successful, he said, it must be tech-supported. Without that and the fiscal court’s support, “it’s almost impossible,” he said.
Over the past month, he’s compiled a list of all necessities in operating an ambulance service while evaluating costs.
Some of the next steps include selecting a medical director approved by the board of EMS, and to select protocols to be approved by EMS. Everything is dictated by the state medical director, he said.
“If we don’t do this now and (Callihan) doesn’t do what he’s been doing, then we’re looking at Jan. 1, 2025,” Hall said, “and I’m not going to sit in this seat and watch what’s taking place out in the county any longer.”
Callihan said he’s at the Greenup County 911 Center at 1819 Ashland Road in Greenup. Visit him or call (606) 473-1411 with any questions or concerns, or if you have interest in joining the EMS field.
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