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Fire chief warns of rising ambulance repair costs and farther hospital transports after local closure
Summary
In the council reports, the fire/EMS chief said expensive ambulance repairs are pending, the department borrows mutual-aid units, and patient transports are increasingly going to facilities outside Cortland after a local hospital closure.
During the reports section of the Cortland City Council meeting on May 19, the fire/EMS chief (identified in the transcript as Keith Morris) told council that the city will likely see about $6,000 in repairs to an aging ambulance and that another squad required recent repairs. He said one of the older ambulances has more than 100,000 miles and that the city had spent substantial sums on upkeep for aging units in prior periods.
Morris said the department borrows units under mutual-aid arrangements (he referenced MECA and Johnson as providers) and that insurance does not cover the city’s ambulances while mutual-aid units cover transports. He noted that with a local hospital having closed, more patients are being transported to hospitals in neighboring areas such as Boardman and that Saint Joseph’s (‘‘Saint Joe’s’’ in the transcript) cannot handle the current patient flow.
The chief warned council the coming summer season could increase transport volume and that if system capacity problems persist into the fall and flu season the department will have to address increased transport distances and workload then. He said a replacement ambulance is expected next year and that current repair needs are being addressed to maintain service.
