WCCAD thinking about buying ambulance

Should the Western Carroll County Ambulance District (WCCAD) get back into the ambulance-ownership business?

That was one of the topics of discussion at its monthly meeting May 14.

The First Responders Alliance brought a request to WCCAD in March for a new or used ambulance for First Responders in the Grassy Knob, Inspiration Point, and Beaver areas to use on calls to carry equipment too bulky for private automobiles.

At that time, price quotes indicated a new ambulance would cost $75,000, and a refurbished one $64,000. An additional $6,000 would be needed to equip it.

Holiday Island purchased a 1994 ambulance in 2002 for its needs. Its call volume is 47 percent of the total calls in the western district.

Holiday Island Fire Chief Jack Deaton said whether WCCAD grants the request "doesn't matter" to him personally, but he believes the whole district would benefit.

Commissioners asked him whether Holiday Island would be willing to give up its ambulance if the district purchased a newer one to be housed in Holiday Island.

"If we got this one, we would donate our old one to Grassy Knob and Inspiration Point - our (suburban improvement district) board would have to approve it. The reason we would want this one is we would be giving away a $9,000 vehicle," he said.

He said it costs around $1,100 per year to license and insure the vehicle.

Eureka Springs Fire Chief David Stoppel, whose department services the ambulance needs of the western district, agreed there is a need.

"It would be a big enhancement to EMS (emergency medical services)," he said. "I still feel like it would be a good thing to do. We'll see how long it takes us to expend our resources at Wednesday's drill."

The May 19 drill was set up for 11 patients needing transport, Deaton said, and in that scenario the district was only able to transport five without extra help.

"They immediately overloaded the system," he said by telephone later. Other vehicles, such as the SORT (Special Operations and Rescue Team) truck, can be converted to transport patients in special situations.

Deaton said the district could have used an extra ambulance four or five times in the last eight months.

Whether the district purchases such a vehicle, he said, "depends on how good service you want to provide for the people in this area."

He made a similar case to Holiday Island's Board of Commissioners in requesting a new pumper for the fire department last year. The Board agreed to the request.

"It's hard to justify an expense like this because you don't need it that often," he said. "You hope you'll never need it, but when you do, you do."

New WCCAD commissioner and former Eureka Springs Fire Chief Bob McVey said, "If I could see how many third-out and fourth-out calls there are, it would help."

"We have to look at how this would all tie together and help the whole district," said Chairman Scott Link.

Bob Pettus, Eureka's assistant fire chief, gave an example of severe winter storms a couple years ago that had county resources scrambling to provide service.

"We discussed how that Holiday Island ambulance played into all that," he said.

The ambulance is licensed as a Basic Life Support vehicle, but it can be appropriated to operate as an Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicle with a paramedic on board.

Normally Eureka Springs runs its ambulances with two paramedics on board. There has been at least one situation, Deaton noted, when two simultaneous calls occurred in Holiday Island. Rather than send both ambulances from Eureka Springs, one paramedic from the first ambulance was able to staff the Holiday Island ambulance and transport a patient to the hospital while the Eureka ambulance did the same.

But, Deaton pointed out, other situations could necessitate having an extra First Responder vehicle in the Western District. These would include mass casualty incidents or multiple car wrecks such as might occur in winter on icy roads.

He said the vehicle should be housed either at Grassy Knob or Inspiration Point.

"If Grassy Knob and Inspiration Point decline the old one, I'll park it Beaver, and it will be a backup," Deaton said. "The (suburban improvement) district doesn't want to move my vehicle down here and leave us without one."

The commission did not reach a decision on whether to purchase another vehicle. It will look at statistics on third- and fourth-out calls and multiple ALS transports before taking a vote.

In other business, WCCAD:

The ordinance was approved by the city and takes effect June 10. It states Eureka Springs will charge the Medicare rate for those services Medicare will reimburse for to both city and district residents.

After 2006, some services will not be reimbursed by Medicare.

The next meeting will be held June 11 at 2 p.m. at the Grassy Knob Fire Station on Highway 187 West.

Council upholds CUP denial for apartments

In another marathon session Monday evening, the Eureka Springs City Council upheld the denial of a conditional use permit (CUP) for an apartment building on Spring St., heard a request for a resolution to keep the Beaver Bridge in place and in use, rediscussed the fine points in three ordinances, and spent almost an hour niggling over who should sign the city's checks.

No bidders on school lunch room addition

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WCCAD thinking about buying ambulance

Should the Western Carroll County Ambulance District (WCCAD) get back into the ambulance-ownership business?

HISID Board tables marina contract until June meetings

The Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (HISID) Board of Commissioners declined to vote on renewing the five-year lease with Marina Concessions, LLC, aka. Allan and Brenda Krier, at its business meeting Monday.