Town says Penacook Rescue Squad personnel costs drive large ambulance budget increase; county asked to revisit funding

Select Board members told the Advisory Budget Committee on Jan. 14 that Penacook Rescue Squad’s 2026 funding request raised the town’s ambulance line by $193,757 to cover personnel costs.

Selectwoman Lorrie Carey said that in 2025 Merrimack County contributed $50,000 toward Penacook Rescue, reducing Boscawen’s share; no comparable county grants were available for 2026. Carey and Selectman Matt Burdick explained that Penacook Rescue’s revenue mix and insurer changes complicate reimbursements: Medicare and Medicaid reimburse roughly 70% of transport costs, and some insurers now pay covered individuals directly rather than the ambulance service, which the board said can leave the squad unreimbursed.

The Select Board told the committee Penacook Rescue was about $63,000 short of requested personnel funding in 2025 and had to draw that amount from savings set aside for equipment and ambulance purchases, leaving less capital for future purchases. The Select Board asked Merrimack County to reconsider including ambulance support in its budget, arguing the cost spread across towns would be small while the impact on Boscawen taxpayers is significant.

Committee members pressed for further detail at a follow-up meeting with department heads and noted potential options raised during discussion—such as training town firefighters in EMS to handle non-transport calls—but board members said running an in-house ambulance service would likely cost more than contracting with a nonprofit squad.

No formal action on ambulance funding was taken at the Jan. 14 meeting; the committee scheduled follow-up questions for the Penacook Rescue funding discussion at the next meeting on Jan. 21.