By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

AUBURN – Adding ambulance service to the city firefighters’ list of jobs could mean more money in the general fund.

“We already respond to those calls,” Fire Chief Wayne Werts told Auburn councilors Monday night. The city has a dedicated emergency medical team as a part of the Fire Department. It’s a logical next step to transport patients, he said.

Werts and his assistants were making their pitch for the 2006-07 budget Tuesday. It calls for $273,914 more overall, increasing the budget to $3.4 million.

The budget doesn’t include an ambulance service, but Werts said it’s an option for the city. Auburn EMS rescue vehicles regularly respond to medical emergencies, usually within four minutes of a call to 911. City crews apply first medical care and usually stabilize people, making them ready for ambulance transport via United Ambulance, a private company.

It would make sense to have the city transport the patients too.

“The call would be finished by the people that started it,” Werts said. “It would provide better quality, better care and fewer vehicles at the scene.”

The city would also be able to charge for the transport and those revenues would more than offset added costs.

“It could mean an additional $100,000 to the general fund,” he said.

Councilors discussed testing Werts’ idea, offering ambulance service on a trial basis.

Some urged them to be more aggressive.

“If you’re going to do it, I think you need to do it,” said Andy Titus of 45 Carson St. “If you take $250,000 in new revenue away from United Ambulance, they’re not going to be around in a year. And they won’t be able to take back over once the trial ends.”