Cities, Washington County will pay more for ambulance service

NWA Democrat-Gazette/Michael Woods • @NWAMICHAELW Seth Mans (left) and Jason Fisher, both Central Emergency Medical Service EMTs, get their ambulance ready for their next call Tuesday at their headquarters in Fayetteville. Central EMS will be getting another ambulance to add to its fleet.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/Michael Woods • @NWAMICHAELW Seth Mans (left) and Jason Fisher, both Central Emergency Medical Service EMTs, get their ambulance ready for their next call Tuesday at their headquarters in Fayetteville. Central EMS will be getting another ambulance to add to its fleet.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Cities will pay higher fees to the Washington County Regional Ambulance Authority-Central EMS starting Jan. 1.

"I think it's a good economical decision for EMS," said Farmington Mayor Ernie Penn.

Goal Times

The Washington County Regional Ambulance Authority-Central EMS uses standard guidelines to try to meet these response times:

• Urban: 8 minutes, 59 seconds

• Suburban: 12 minutes, 59 seconds

• Unincorporated-rural: 20 minutes, 59 seconds

Source: Authority Chief Becky Stewart

Paying more

The fee increase and using 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data will mean cities and the county using the Washington County Regional Ambulance Authority-Central EMS will pay more next year.

20152016*

Farmington$14,420$36,202

Prairie Grove$13,468$26,543

Elkins$8,892$16,047

Part of Johnson$6,652$10,163

Goshen$3,008$6,490

Greenland$3,788$7,630

West Fork$8,168$14,041

Fayetteville$270,000$445,895

Washington County$561,000$669,774

Source: Washington County Regional Ambulance Service

Operating cost

The Washington County Regional Ambulance Authority-Central EMS generates most of its own operating costs. Authority members pay about 10 percent of operating costs. Fees for service make up about 80 percent of what it costs to operate the service.

Source: Chief Becky Stewart

The fees will pay for a new ambulance to better meet goals for getting to an emergency within set time frames, officials said.

The ambulance service arrives at its goal about 85 percent of the time, but the service aims for 90 percent, said Chief Becky Stewart. The new ambulance will help reduce the number of times ambulances arrive later than wanted, she and others said.

The goals are set based on rural, suburban and urban geographies and aren't federally mandated, Stewart said.

Officials hope to put the new ambulance near Joyce Boulevard and Crossover Road in Fayetteville.

"Adding an ambulance in Northeast Fayetteville improves the overall system," said David Dayringer, Fayetteville fire chief and chairman of the authority's executive committee, that developed the plan to increase fees.

The authority board approved paying per capita fees based on the 2010 U.S. Census, which means cities and the county will pay based on more people. Members had used the 2000 U.S. Census.

The board also increased fees by $2.06 per person.

The change means cities will pay $6.06 per capita, and the county will pay $17.56, Stewart said.

Officials expect the change to bring in about $1.2 million total, authority records show. The increase is expected to cover the annual operation cost of about $350,000 for the new ambulance, Stewart said. The ambulance service plans to use reserve and other funds to buy a fully equipped ambulance, worth about $240,000, and to cover hiring and training costs, estimated at $150,000 to $350,000, depending on the timing of hires and other factors, Stewart said.

Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan said the change stabilizes the ambulance system, but it does not address how best to expand service to areas that won't be covered by Springdale next year.

Elm Springs, Tontitown, part of Johnson and the northern portion of Washington County received cost estimates to join the authority this past December, but those estimates may change because of the new ambulance, officials said Tuesday.

Mayors Paul Colvin of Tontitown and Harold Douthit of Elm Springs have said previously their cities need help paying for their part of the expanding ambulance service.

Under the authority's previous recommendations, cities and the county would pay $797,864 total for two ambulances, two stations and an additional 12-hour crew ready to start January 2016, according to a authority documents. The ongoing price tag for the ambulance service is $573,408, starting in 2016, according to December meeting minutes.

Colvin said Tuesday he is looking for ways to either extend the deadline Springdale set or get subsidies to help pay.

Authority members remained reluctant Tuesday to provide new members funding directly.

"I know my council will say we can't subsidize Tontitown," said Bill Groom, Greenland mayor and vice chairman of the board.

Some members worried not helping Tontitown and others might mean the cities can't afford to join. Other immediate ways to help may be available, said County Judge Marilyn Edwards. The county pays Springdale roughly $231,000 to cover those areas currently, and the money could go to the authority next year, if the Quorum Court approves, Edwards said.

"I just don't want to leave out these areas who are without service," she said. "We have got to do something to pull them into the system. We have got to take care of them."

The authority agreed to look at new ways to fund the ambulance service to meet the needs of a growing population, which is expected to reach 750,000 by 2040. A quarter-cent sales tax could solve the authority's problems, authority members said. A sales tax would provide needed, sustainable funding, Stewart said.

"If we do nothing, our response time starts to deteriorate," she said.

NW News on 03/05/2015

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