Last December, we reported on an emergency meeting in Warren, New Hampshire, to discuss the extortion payment being demanded by a local private ambulance service covering Warren and Wenworth. That was to cover service until this past March.
It’s July, and the operation shuttered its doors after the few remaining employees (everyone else had been let go) walked off the job on July 9th. There’s no money, so no work, which means no ambulance service. Plymouth Fire Rescue has offered to try to fill in, but there is no local prompt EMT service available to the towns, and there is still plenty of blame to go around.
[Mike] Ball, who was promoted to chief a few weeks prior to the shutdown, said the service had been operating “paycheck to paycheck” for years. Ball began working for the service at the start of this year.
“It was pretty evident that the service had been underfunded for a number of years,” Ball said. “The only goal for this year was to survive.”
Ball pointed to a history of financial mismanagement, including an IRS fine of over $300,000 due to unpaid payroll taxes under a previous administration. The cost of maintaining a 24/7 operation exceeded $1 million annually, while the service received only $325,000 each from Warren and Wentworth, plus $60,000 from the Glencliff Home, which is owned by the state.
If you recall our earlier coverage, a local in the know had reported to me that,
Several years ago we, the towns of Wentworth and Warren had an all volunteer fast squad that worked along side the all volunteer fire departments. Because of all the new requirements from state and federal governments we went to a non profit private company.
At that time the town turned over two ambulances and all the fast squad equipment to the new company. That first company had a book keeping problem too, so we replaced them with the present company that has us in this financial situation.
I am a huge fan of outsourcing to private third parties. I think towns should consider it with schools first, transitioning them from public to publicly funded third-party operations. This should result in significant property tax relief as well as marked improvements in competency and students performing at grade level. Private education operations are lean and efficient, and they don’t waste time. None of this CRT or DEI crap, and they answer to the town, which means in real terms, you could probably ditch the SAU, all its baggage, and rethink what a school board means. If “schools” are just a line item on the town budget…
Private business is typically more responsive, but this situation in Warren/Wentworth appears to have gone the other way. A subcontractor was not adequately held accountable for its operations to the people elected to protect investments in taxpayer dollars. The town’s agreement should have included annual audits (at a minimum) as a condition of funding. If tax money is involved, then someone needs to ensure they get their money’s worth. I can’t speak to whether that happened, but given what we know, something went sideways for a longer-than-reasonable duration.
There is also the question of what happened that forced the locals to dissolve their able, affordable, and functioning volunteer ambulance squad? These operate effectively throughout the country. Why can’t Warren and Wentworth reconstitute a team of volunteers?
State Statutes include anti-discrimination laws that protect employees from being terminated for being late or missing work because they were on call as a volunteer firefighter or ambulance crew. It follows then that there are active volunteer teams in the state.
In the meantime,
At an emergency meeting with the towns of Warren and Wentworth on July 16, Plymouth Town Manager Scott Weden and Chief Pierce offered to provide emergency medical services to both towns through next March under a written contract.
Under the agreement, Plymouth will charge $1,500 per EMS call, with insurance reimbursements returned to the towns. The average recovery rate is between 38% and 42%. Based on available data, approximately 68 calls could be expected for Warren and 44 calls for Wentworth through March.
Both select boards voted unanimously to approve the agreements. The contract is renewable pending annual town votes for renewed funding.
That’s an estimated 162K for the following year. A significant savings from the previous arrangement, but Warren is 20 miles from Plymouth and Wentworth is 23 miles, one way (give or take)—a solution, but not THE solution.
Perhaps someone in one of those towns who reads the ‘Grok can fill us in on the situation and any details about whether the volunteer program is even under consideration. If not, what else are they thinking?
I’ll provide an update if and when one appears.
