By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com

Parts of eastern Crawford County could be seeing quicker ambulance response times within the near future after Life Support Ambulance Service reported purchasing a building during the Central Joint Ambulance District meeting Wednesday night.

Speaking before the CJAD Board of Directors, Life Support owner Tom Durbin reported that Life Support had purchased a location on Middletown Road in Jackson Township about 100 yards from Ohio 61. Durbin explained that the building needed some renovations before it could be ready to be staffed.

Durbin added that while there aren’t many runs out in that direction, those runs that do occur are usually more serious and with the location would be able to cut some run times in half. Durbin finished by noting that with a majority of the calls coming from Bucyrus, the ambulance service would continue to keep a majority of their services in the city.

Related Content: Former Loss Creek Church not likely site for CJAD station | CJAD trying to overcome hurdles to substation | Ambulance district edges closer to renewal – could add station

Bucyrus representative of the CJAD Steve Pifer gave an update on the potential mutual aid agreement with Life Support and the city of Bucyrus. Pifer noted that Bucyrus Law Director Rob Ratliff said that the city needs to see the approval from the Central Joint Ambulance District before council can vote on the matter. Pifer added that he doesn’t really see any problems with council passing the agreement. Board President Jamie Sherk noted that he would have County Law Director Matt Crall contact Ratliff on the matter.

Related Content: CJAD mulls Bucyrus emergency services as help

The CJAD approved to keep the 2017 officers the same as this past year with Sherk as president, Jason Long as vice president, and Milton Underwood as treasurer.

Jacob Schimpf of Lykens Township and Steve Aichholz of New Washington were introduced as the new representatives of their communities to the CJAD.

In Jesse Sipes’ report to the CJAD, Sipes reported that the ambulance service had 239 calls for the month of December with 175 of the calls coming from the city of Bucyrus.

In his annual report, Sipes noted that Life Support had 2,699 total calls for the year, with 1,941 calls within the city of Bucyrus. Whetstone Township had the second highest rate of calls for the year with 157. Of those calls, 1,581 transports were to the Bucyrus Community Hospital.