Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Medical Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Basin Ambulance marks 75 years and warns of rising call volumes and costs
Summary
Basin Ambulance informed the Merrill City Council that call volume has risen from 419 in 2020 to an estimated 650–700 in 2024, stressing vehicle costs (~$300,000) and collection shortfalls; presenters said staffing and funding pressures are increasing.
Tom Ongman and Stacy Todd of Basin Ambulance presented to the Merrill City Council on Aug. 14 as part of the agency’s 75th‑anniversary remarks and described rising operational pressures facing the special district. Todd said Basin Ambulance responded to about 419 calls in 2020 and projects 650–700 calls in 2024, with roughly 65% of calls occurring during daytime hours.
They described the agency’s staffing and equipment: Basin Ambulance has 20 volunteers and four paid daytime staff; it operates four ambulances and replaces vehicles roughly every six years. Ongman and Todd said a new ambulance “costs $300,000.00 bare bones” and that the service budgets $300,000–$450,000 annually while billing about $1 million and collecting roughly 35% of billed amounts. Todd said, "Basin Ambulance has never missed a call for help in 75 years." The presenters described mutual‑aid coverage areas including the Merrill Fire District, Malin Fire District, Tulelake mutual aid areas, and parts of Klamath County, and noted multi‑hour response distances for some calls.
Councilors asked about service area and travel distances; presenters explained the district sometimes covers calls up to an hour or more away and recently executed a Service Agreement for Township and Stateline. Basin Ambulance staff described recruitment and training standards for Oregon EMTs and said volunteers meet the same state training requirements as paid personnel.
The council thanked Basin Ambulance for the presentation; no formal council action was taken on funding during the meeting.
