By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
The Central Joint Ambulance District board approved wording of a new ambulance service provider contract at its meeting Wednesday.
After approving the wording of the contract as well as bid packet contents, the CJAD Committee set its Aug. 19 meeting as the date to open the bids submitted for the ambulance service contract.
Crawford County Prosecutor Mathew Crall explained that he made a few word changes to the contract to make the document sound more “lawyerlike”. Crall also noted that he had spoken with attorney Lawrence Bennet and that Bennet said the contract looked to be in good shape.
Crall noted that he included the updated map in the bid packet for Bennet to review.
An updated tier map for response times was approved to be included with the bid packets as well Monday night. Crawford County EMA Director Tim Flock presented the CJAD a new tier system in which he and members of the map committee timed themselves going with the flow of traffic, using no sirens, or lights to different points of the county from the Plymouth Street Station.
The map was updated to include four tiers within the district with the first tier times being 5:59 and under, the second tier times at 9:59 and under, the third tier times at 14:59 and under and the fourth tier times at 19:59 and under.
The map was color coded with the first tier in green, the second tier in yellow, the third tier in red, and the fourth tier in black. Flock also included a map book which included the tiered map, maps with addresses in areas of the county that may be difficult to navigate, and a sample map test.
The district board discussed about how to finance a subsidy if that were part of the contract the board chooses. One of the possible options discussed would be to place an ambulance service levy to cover the subsidy on the November 2015 or March 2016 ballots.
In Life Support‘s monthly report to the board, it noted responses to 228 9-1-1 calls for the month of May.
The next CJAD meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. on August 19 at the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.