HOULTON, Maine — With a Dec. 31 deadline fast approaching, construction of a $1.1 million ambulance service is quickly coming together for a consortium of 10 southern Aroostook communities.
And while there is still much work to be done, officials with the new ambulance group are confident they will be ready to serve their communities starting Jan. 1, 2022.
“We are on schedule because we don’t really have any option to fail,” said Gordon Hagerman, chairman of the Southern Aroostook Emergency Medical Service. “We might not have everything done, but we will be ready to serve the people.”
The newly created ambulance service officially launches on Jan. 1. The move came about after the town of Houlton, which previously provided emergency medical coverage for the 10 communities, significantly raised the amount it was charging for its service.
That increase went from $16 to $74 per capita for each town. For Hodgdon, with a little more than 1,200 people, that meant an increase of more than $74,000 for the current fiscal year.
Electricians work on new wiring for the Southern Aroostook Emergency Medical Services station located at 45 Access Road in Houlton. The newly created quasi-municipal ambulance service goes into operation Jan. 1. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Amity, Hammond, Hodgdon, Linneus, Littleton, Ludlow, Merrill, Monticello, New Limerick and Smyrna are on board for the new ambulance service and have all appropriated funding for the project. Originally, the plan included Oakfield and Dyer Brook, but those communities chose to remain with the Houlton Ambulance Service.
The Maine State Legislature approved the formation of the new quasi-municipal entity this past summer as the emergency bill sponsored by Republican lawmakers Sen. Trey Stewart and Rep. Tracy Quint became law June 30 without the signature of Gov. Janet Mills.
Each town will have one voting member elected to the board of directors, giving the communities a say in how future money is spent. Additional communities can join the consortium at any point, and will also have a voting member for the board.
“We think we will get more (towns) later on, but we have to prove ourselves first,” Hagerman said. “The one thing we were shooting for was for each town to have representation. That’s all we wanted.”
The initial cost to create such a service has been steep for the 10 communities involved, but the payoff is something organizers feel is well worth the high price tag.
Some towns were able to appropriate money from their surplus accounts to cover their share of the startup, but others, like Hodgdon, had to hold a special town meeting to approve borrowing a large sum of money for the plan. For Hodgdon, that price tag came in at $240,000.
To date, the group has hired six of the eight emergency medical technicians and paramedics it needs to safely run the new business. The group has also hired a director to oversee the operations.
“Trying to find people, like it is for everybody, has been tough,” Hagerman said. “We have people from Danforth and the Millinocket area who have come onboard. Within the scope of the industry, I’d say we are doing pretty good.”
The plan is to have three used ambulances available to respond to calls, but as of Dec. 1 only one rig was located in Houlton. That unit came from the Madawaska area. The other two are in transit from Portland.
Finding the right location to house such a large operation was crucial, Hagerman said. So when the group discovered that the former Furniture and Floors North showroom was available very close to U.S. Route 1 in Houlton, they knew they had found their location.
“The location is just excellent,” Hagerman said. “We are close to the Interstate so we can get to our towns quickly. I have always been a person of faith and I give the good Lord credit for leading us to this building.”
This rig is one of three ambulances for the newly created Southern Aroostook Emergency Medical Service agency. Starting Jan. 1, the quasi-municipal entity will provide coverage for 10 southern Aroostook communities. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Extensive renovations were needed to bring the building up to code. A new sprinkler system had to be installed because the facility will have two bedrooms for EMS personnel to sleep, as well as a kitchen and laundry area.
A large meeting room is included for any training sessions the new agency wishes to have. “We have been told by the [State] Fire Marshal that we have enough space for 250 people, so we can also have receptions here,” Hagerman said.
Dispatching for the new ambulance service will be handled by the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.
The town of Houlton will continue to provide contracted ambulance service to the communities of Oakfield, Dyer Brook and Cary Township for 2022. Houlton will also provide contracted fire services for Amity, Cary, Hammond, Ludlow and New Limerick.
