GARFIELD - Advanced life support ambulance is provided to the many residents of northeast Benton County from Rogers to Carroll County and Beaver Lake to Missouri. The area is a designed Emergency Services District. In order to retain the level of service they began, the Board of Directors for Northeast Benton County EMS is asking for an increase in dues from its members.
“In order to continue to provide the level of service that we’re providing today … we need an increase,” Kara Funk, NEBCO board chairman, said. “We’re living payday to payday.”
“Over the past three years, I have personally seen three lives saved because NEBCO/EMS has a strong first responder program and an ALS ambulance stationed in Garfield,” Richard Funk said, adding that he would gladly spend $5 more per month to save lives.
Dues are collected on the property tax bills. There are 3,914 residences in the Emergency District, Funk said. Funds for the Fire Department and the Ambulance Department are kept separated.
NEBCO took over the former Volunteer Ambulance Service in 2010 and sold the VAS property, giving funds to purchase a new ambulance. But, Funk explained, a regular source of income is needed.
Unlike a sales tax, property tax or user fee, the rate is a steady revenue source and is equal for all households, Funk said, adding that unlimited service is provided to all members. Members of the emergency service district are not charged for the costs of an ambulance run after their insurance pays.
“We just purchased a chassis for an ambulance because of the sale of an asset. But, the next time we have an emergency, we won’t have that money available. We’ve got to build a reserve account.
We’ve got to be competitive with the wages that we offer the employees,” Funk said. NEBCO does not offer benefits to their full time employees, something that often lures those employees away to other departments.
“We can’t retain good employees when we can’t offer benefits,” Rob Taylor, fire chief, said. “We spend our money training these guys only to make them better employees for someplace else.”
The department is staffed 24 hours a day/seven days a week with two paramedics as required by state regulations for ALS ambulance service. In order to hire, and keep, qualified personnel, Taylor said they need to be able to offer benefits including retirement and health benefits.
The election is July 9. There are three polling places - First Baptist Church, Garfield; Lost Bridge; and Avoca. The Emergency Services District was setup in 1985 and members of the district, property owners, vote.
The department currently has two ambulances, one in service and one for back up.
“It’s not like we’re a city or a county and can go back to a general fund to get money,” Funk said. “What we have in our pocket is what we have.”
“I’ve been living here my whole life. I understand money is tight. We’re already at a point as a service that I don’t know how much longer we can continue to operate this service. It’s (dues) got to be adjusted,” Taylor said.
“We’ve spent the last three years looking at these numbers.”
Taylor said that the current rate of $40 per year is $3.30 a month. The new fee of $100 per year is $5 more per month.
“It doesn’t matter how much you call that ambulance, you’re never going to see a bill from NEBCO.
I don’t know of any other service in the nation that does that,” Taylor said.
Funk said the county has been doing a feasibility study on how to provide service to the unincorporated areas of the county.
“Cities by law are not allowed to serve outside their city limits without being reimbursed for the cost, so they’ve (county officials) reached an agreement with all these departments with the exception of Pea Ridge and NEBCO,” Funk said, adding that the county did subsidize NEBCO in 2012 and 2013.
“We’ve frugally bought used equipment,” Funk said, commending Taylor for his management of the department.
“Even if runs are down, we still have to have staff, equipment, medications. If runs are down, that’s good because it means the community is healthy,” Taylor said.
“We’ve been very successful at getting grants but you can’t run an ambulance service on grants and spaghetti suppers. There have been a lot of people make sacrifices in the past three years in order to deliver the best possible service,” Funk said. “The members in this community approved a rate increase in 2007 from $15 to $40, but … it wasn’t able to go ALS (advanced life support). When we took it over, we immediately went ALS.
“People have gotten accustomed to the good service they’re getting,” she said.
One trauma grant which provided $13,000 last year was cut to $5,000 this year, Taylor said.
One cardiac monitor costs $20,000- $30,000 and is required equipment on an ALS ambulance, Taylor said, explaining that a reserve fund is essential to replace equipment when needed. Financial calculations for the future include setting back capital expenditures for a new ambulance and heart monitor every five years.
“We’ve established a level of service and we’re committed to providing that level of service,” Funk said, adding that the supporters of NEBCO need to remember to vote July 9.
News, Pages 1 on 07/03/2013