In the towns of West Paris, Sumner, Greenwood, Milton Plantation and Woodstock, there is a service, Tri-Town Ambulance. The total population of all towns together, at its peak, is less than 10,000 people. Lots of local people worked and volunteered time and money, and each town budgeted funds to help support that service.

Then, a hospital ambulance service came around. It has lots of monetary backing and officials have been pushing “no charge” service to each community, which will drive all the little ambulance services out of the area. Then, the hospital ambulance service can charge whatever it wants. Each community will likely pay dearly for ambulance services.

Sounds like what happened with big-box stores. My parents used to say, “for nothing, you will get nothing.”

Say goodbye to local employment; goodbye to training and first-aid teaching; goodbye to local ambulance service.

Ted Jones, West Paris