PHILLIPS – A new option for ambulance service that provides local staff and stipend incentives for volunteers will be discussed Thursday.
In March, residents of both Phillips and Avon rejected initial proposals for 2004 coverage that would have cost a combined $109,768, $70,600 more than the current level to continue service.
Residents of both towns also rejected relying solely on a first responder service to tend to patients while awaiting an ambulance transport dispatched out of Farmington to take a patient to a hospital.
The new option that combines paid emergency medical technicians on duty 12 hours per day during weekdays, and paid volunteers along with a paid volunteer coordinator. It also calls to maintain an ambulance based in Phillips.
The information meeting for both towns on the new proposal is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 5, at the Phillips Middle School on Route 4. Residents of both towns will have a chance to vote on the option.
In Phillips that vote is at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at the Phillips Middle School. In Avon, the vote is at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 16, at the Avon Town House.
The new option would cost about $65,000 to be shared by the towns based on population. It is $25,812 more than the current subsidy, which is $39,168 and shared by the towns.
The new option, which would have a back-up of Sugarloaf Ambulance with a goal of local independence from the Carrabassett Valley based service after the first year except for normal mutual aid calls.
The new terms would include:
• The basic EMT on duty weekdays would be available 12 hours per day instead of an initial proposal of eight hours, recognizing the decreased availability of volunteers between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.
• Volunteers would receive a $1 per hour incentive stipend to be on the on-call schedule during nights and weekends.
• Up to two volunteers would receive $20 per call. Transport calls are typically two hours or so in length.
• The volunteer coordinator would receive $1,000 annual stipend.
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