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Plymouth providing interim ambulance coverage for Warren and Wentworth after local services close
Summary
After Warren and Wentworth ambulance service ended, Plymouth EMS has been providing mutual-aid transports; Select Board discussed billing, turnaround times and budget impacts and set follow-ups with the two towns to pursue contracting.
The Select Board was informed Monday that Plymouth emergency medical services have been providing interim ambulance coverage to Warren and Wentworth since those communities' ambulance provider ceased operations last Wednesday. Town Manager Scott said Plymouth had transported five or six patients from Warren or Wentworth during the interim period and plans to begin billing the two towns for services.
Scott told the board he and Chief Peterson had met with Warren and Wentworth officials to discuss options, and that the town has developed a cost figure that is higher than its rates for other contracted towns because of distance, travel time and the need to backfill shifts. Scott said the town hopes to end emergency response via mutual aid as soon as alternative arrangements are in place and to begin formal billing to recover costs.
Board members asked whether the town budget could absorb the additional service while revenue is collected. Scott said the town currently expects no immediate budget shortfall, but cautioned the situation is new and that longer-term impacts will depend on how long Plymouth provides coverage and on negotiated contract rates.
Board members also discussed response times for distant areas served under contract; Scott estimated typical longer responses to Warren could be about 30'40 minutes in deep parts of the town and recounted a recent ATV accident where an ambulance call-to-sign-off at the hospital took 48 minutes from the tone. The board assigned staff to continue negotiations and to report back about contracting terms and any needed budget adjustments.
