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Southern Paramedics tells Carlisle council its ambulances meet rural response targets but provides only estimated cost figures
Summary
Southern Paramedics representative Bill Mears told the Carlisle City Council that the provider’s 12‑month averages beat national rural benchmarks for both priority‑1 and priority‑2 response times, while offering estimated operating-cost figures and saying the agency is not seeking a subsidy.
Bill Mears of Southern Paramedics told the Carlisle City Council that the ambulance provider’s 12‑month response performance outpaced typical rural benchmarks.
“Priority 1” responses — lights and siren calls — averaged 11 minutes, 55 seconds with an on‑time performance of 92.53%, Mears said; “priority 2” (non‑lights and siren emergency calls) averaged 13 minutes, 33 seconds with 96.21% on‑time performance. Mears said those figures were calculated from monthly data covering the past year and that he could provide month‑by‑month supporting details on request.
Mears said Southern Paramedics is part of the community, pays local property taxes and participates in events such as football games and parades. He told council members the service is not asking for a subsidy but described how a dedicated ambulance for Carlisle would affect finances. He presented the department’s estimated operating numbers and described the figures as estimates rather than audited amounts: “the actual cost of an ambulance to run for the year, for us about $6,676,486 for 1 ambulance,” and later said estimated collections were roughly $247,000 with a shortage of $429,000, adding that more precise figures would take about two months to compile.
Council members thanked Mears and declined extended questioning at the meeting, asking that staff and the presenter coordinate follow‑up so the municipal committees can review the underlying data. Municipal‑services leadership also said they will compare Carlisle’s numbers with neighboring departments to better understand variation in response patterns and costs.
The council did not vote on funding or policy changes at the meeting. Municipal‑services chairs and staff said they will analyze dispatch and call‑volume data and report back before any decisions about subsidies or structural changes are made.
