Commissioners to increase ambulance rates
CARIBOU, Maine — Starting Jan. 1, 2017, ambulance rates are going up, as departments are now using ambulances for additional services and it is taking a toll on many dispatchers in the area.
“It is certainly a lot more work now per department than it was five years ago,” said Sheriff Darrell Crandall. “The reason for this is because of some changes in the way business is done, what various social entitlements will pay for. Ambulance services are being used to transport people to non-emergency medical appointments, to transport people to the pharmacy to pick up medications, and things of that nature on a very regular basis.”
County Administrator Doug Beaulieu told the Commissioners that he would like to obtain support for the rate change sooner rather than later, as it would give local municipalities time to adjust their budgets accordingly.
“I think it should be voted on tonight rather than later, so we can give other towns a lot of lead time,” said Beaulieu. “I know, as an administrator, I like as much lead time as possible when costs go up.”
Sheriff Crandall gave the Commissioners an example of department calls made over the course of a year in one town, which received 1,300 police calls, 800 ambulance calls, and 29 fire calls.
“We are basing the new rate closer to the fire department as opposed to the police rate,” said Crandall. “With the ambulance services, not just the one we have now but another that we could arguably pick up along the way, we are just going to get more of the same of what we have now, and it just ties up time and distracts dispatchers. It is going to force us into a situation where we have to increase staffing for dispatch, because it’s becoming more than our staff can handle.”
Wallagrass commissioner Norman Fournier asked the sheriff if there was a significant disparity within the towns that are provided with dispatch services.
“There is a big disparity,” said Crandall. “All of the dispatcher radio talk has to be logged and it ties up time and to use an old business adage ‘Time is money.’”
“It’s an inequitable relationship,” added Beaulieu.
“I don’t have a problem with the new rates as long as they’re justifiable,” said Presque Isle Commissioner Paul Underwood. “Towns will certainly need time to put this in their budgets.”
The sheriff told commissioners that, aside from the “normal 5 percent escalation,” they are “not looking at changing any other rates.”
