Rizzio seeks ALS

Fire Chief Frank Rizzio was to meet with county o◊cials Tuesday to discuss funding formulas for reimbursement of ambulance runs in the county and on Aug.

6 to request funds for the ambulance runs Pea Ridge Fire/EMS Department makes outside of the city limits.

He addressed Pea Ridge City Council at the regular council meeting Tuesday, July 16, to update city o◊cials on the status of the negotiations with Benton County for ambulance service out of the city limits.

“On Aug. 6, I’m going to visit with the county Finance Committee at 7 p.m. about the county EMS subsidy,” Rizzio said. “It’s basically the third year; they’re creating a bigger budget.”

Rizzio said Pea Ridge is asking for a little over $300,000 over the three years, but said the county would expect advanced life support ambulance service.

“They will expect a standard of care that is being administered throughout the county other than in our district … we are the only one that is not ALS within 100 miles,” Rizzio told city o◊cials.

“At the beginning of the year, I gave you three options … we were $28,000 short of having a 24-hour service for a bare-bones ALS service on a 24-hour basis,” he said, explaining that whenever people have complained about response time, he double checks the re-cords to justify the time involved for volunteers who are awakened at night to get to the station, pick up the ambulance and then respond to the call.

“We’re glad you’re buying a car for $20,000. The 7,000 people in the district are happy about that,” Rizzio said, referring to the money spent on a vehicle for city o◊cials approved earlier in the meeting.

“We’ve supported you,” Mayor Jackie Crabtree said.

“The county Finance Committee is interested in knowing how far we’re willing to go to provide advanced life support,” Rizzio said, adding that justices ofthe peace are interested to see the city provide some of the funds.

Council member Steve Guthrie, a former fi refighter and emergency medical technician, said he remembered that the Fire Department was proposed to be self-supporting, but the mayor said it had never paid for itself.

“We’ve been paying for ourselves … we haven’t gotten a nickel from the general fund,” Rizzio said.

The mayor said thousands of dollars have been written o◊by the city as uncollectable for the ambulance department.

Rizzio said he had recently received several grants and has considered asking county residents to pay an annual fee.

“It would behoove you to set a goal of when you want to do it (go ALS) and not just let it sit in your lap; the whole thing needs to be looked at,” Rizzio told council members.

“I feel like we’re making an e◊ort,” Ray Easley, council member said. “Last year we bought an ambulance that is capable of going ALS. I believe our sales tax will increase.”

“We’re considering asking the county residents to pay a fee,” Rizzio said, adding that the information he has received is that fee-paying residents would also pay for the ambulance calls.

“The burden is to provide the sta◊,” Rizzio said, explaining that a paramedic must be available 24 hours a day when a department runs an ALS department.

“NEBCO is paying less than we are right now for paramedics … there are challenges in keeping the calendar full. There are days there are black spots on the calendar.

“Standard of care should be the goal. People expect that at 3 o’clock in the morning,” Rizzio said.

News, Pages 1 on 07/31/2013