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Fire chief reports 37% year‑over‑year increase in runs; grants sought and billing collection holds steady
Summary
Chief Griffith told trustees the fire department is seeing a sharp uptick in calls (28 fire runs, 35 EMS runs so far, a 37.44% increase over last year), has applied for an AFG microgrant of $28,314 for hoses/nozzles and a smaller grant for battery-powered chainsaws, and reported a 94.1% collection rate with revenue up about 4.1% due to payer mix changes.
Morgan Township’s fire department reported a substantial rise in activity and described near-term purchasing and billing plans at the trustees’ June 10 meeting.
Chief Griffith told trustees the department marked personnel anniversaries and recently submitted a federal AFG microgrant request for $28,314 to purchase fire hose and nozzles. He also said staff applied for a railroad grant (listed in the transcript at $1,559) to replace gas-powered cutters with battery-powered chainsaws and batteries.
On workload, Griffith said the department has recorded 28 fire runs and 35 EMS runs so far in the year, which he presented as a 37.44% increase over the same time last year. He said overlapping calls have spiked (21 concurrent overlaps this period vs. five last year) and that EMS transports account for the large increase; two mutual-aid transports for other jurisdictions were noted. “It’s quite remarkable,” he said of the rise in calls.
Griffith also provided a billing update: the township’s current billing collection rate was reported at 94.1%, and transport revenue was up about 4.1% year-to-date. He explained that the payer mix has shifted toward more Medicaid cases, which pay less, resulting in higher run volume without equivalent revenue increases. He said the department’s billing staff are working to keep receivables current and that some accounts are being pursued (non-transport bills were identified as 1,200 in number per the transcript).
Trustees did not take any formal votes specifically on fire department purchases at the meeting but heard the grant and budget implications and directed staff to continue billing follow-up and grant application tracking.
