Canaan
The organization, which responds to emergency calls in several Mascoma Valley communities, has proposed increasing its staffing and budget to handle what it says has been heightened demand for its service. The notion that it might make sense to bring the ambulance service under the town’s umbrella came during ongoing negotiations over the group’s budget, according to Town Administrator Mike Samson.
If the change is made, Canaan Ambulance would continue choosing its leaders and managing members, but also would be able to take advantage of being part of town government by saving on bookkeeping, insurance and fuel buying, Samson said on Friday. The move would require approval from Canaan’s three-member Selectboard and voters at Town Meeting in March, he said.
“The intent isn’t to make it another department in town,” Samson said, because the ambulance service would “have a fair amount of independence.”
The Canaan Fire Department likely would be a model for the move, he said. Its members also elect their leaders and manage day-to-day operations while being subject to the town’s budgeting process.
At the same time, town officials also are discussing an alternative — simply increasing contributions to Canaan Ambulance.
The town now pays about $65,000 a year for 911 coverage and has offered to increase that amount to $125,000 next year. The service staffs one full-time EMT during the day and another on an on-call basis, but officers are hoping to hire at least another full-time position to handle increased demand.
According to the group’s website, it responds to about 600 medical calls per year in Canaan, Orange, Dorchester and Grafton. That amounts to an increase of 75 percent over the last 10 years.
Canaan Ambulance President Leif Jopek was unavailable to comment and messages left for Vice President Adam Eckhardt were not returned on Friday.
“Obviously, I think the issue has been what to do about staffing, which is not uncommon in the Upper Valley, and as a result, what to do about expenses and how (the service) is funded,” Samson said, adding Canaan officials are committed to maintaining the ambulance service.
“We all want to make sure somebody picks us up if we’re having a heart attack,” he said.
Officials haven’t yet decided which plan to present to voters next spring, according to Canaan Selectboard Chairman Scott Borthwick, who said on Friday that talks with ambulance officers haven’t been completed.
It’s also not yet clear how negotiations ultimately will affect taxes in Dorchester, Orange and Grafton, which receive 911 coverage from Canaan Ambulance and contribute to its budget.
Dorchester spends about $8,000 annually on Canaan Ambulance, while Orange contributed about $6,000. Grafton budgeted $25,000 this year for ambulance services, but part of those funds go to the town’s own volunteer service.
Samson visited all three communities in August to update officials on the talks, but the individual Selectboards are waiting to see what Canaan ultimately decides.
“We haven’t been involved in any talks or negotiations with the FAST Squad,” Dorchester Selectboard Chairman Sherman Hallock said on Friday. “We kind of piggyback on Canaan, and there’s really nothing we can do about it. We’ll go along with however it’s resolved.”
Orange Selectboard Chairwoman Dorothy Heinrichs and Sue Smith, administrative assistant to the Grafton Selectboard, said officials in their towns also have discussed the situation, but are comfortable with Canaan taking the lead role.
Samson said discussions with the ambulance service will continue at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at the Selectman’s Conference Room under the town’s library.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.