Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Medical Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Selectmen approve MOU to pay dispatch stipend for ALS intercept program
Summary
The Plaistow Board of Selectmen voted to approve a memorandum of understanding establishing a quarterly stipend for dispatchers who will handle calls for a new ALS intercept program; the stipend will be paid from the ALS program's funds and the arrangement begins March 21.
The Plaistow Board of Selectmen voted to approve a memorandum of understanding to pay dispatchers a quarterly stipend for handling calls tied to a new advanced life-support (ALS) intercept program.
The MOU adds a stipend for each full-time dispatcher, with prorated payment for part-time staff, to recognize increased call volume tied to the ALS intercept service. Town officials said the stipend and related roll-up costs will be charged back quarterly to the ALS program and will not be paid from the town’s general fund.
Greg (staff member), who presented details of the program to the board, said the dispatching work will be routed through Plaistow’s center and that associated costs were included in the program budget. He told the board paramedics for the ALS service have been hired and the program is scheduled to begin March 21 at 3 p.m. He also said the stipend “comes out of the donations that have come in.”
Board members asked about expected call volume and whether additional training or hires were needed. Presenters said prior participation in similar programs generated roughly 2,500–3,000 calls a year; they said program rules aim to limit dispatches to more serious calls and that dispatch technology in Plaistow can handle communications with participating towns. Officials said the town is advertising for a part-time dispatcher; any part-time hires would receive a prorated stipend under the MOU.
The presentation said at least 17 towns are participating or signed up to participate, and that the program will also operate from a Brentwood location. The MOU includes language limiting the stipend to the period when Plaistow is dispatching the program — if the town stops dispatching the service, the stipend provision would end.
The board made a motion to approve the MOU and voted to adopt it; the chair announced the motion carried.
Follow-up tasks identified during discussion included confirming quarterly billing procedures and finalizing prorated amounts for part-time employees. Staff said the first contract term will run through Dec. 31 and subsequent years will be on an annual basis.
