What is the Future of the Southwest Harbor-Tremont Ambulance Service?
Opportunity for CDL training at Tremont Town Office
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Window Panes Home and Garden.
TREMONT—The Southwest Harbor–Tremont Ambulance Service is a service and not a money-making operation like a typical business. Crew Chief and Board of Directors Secretary for the service, Kristin Hutchins, wanted to make sure people understood that as Board President Andy Cline gave a presentation to the Tremont Select Board at its December 2 meeting.
Even though the service has gone from 200-300 calls per year six or seven years ago to almost 500 calls per year now, the gap between what the ambulance service can make and what it takes to operate keeps getting wider and wider. What the service can charge, as far as yearly increases to keep up with inflation, is limited by Medicare. Additionally, the state has more mandated benefits that employers have to pay into for employees making it harder for organizations, especially not-for-profits, to survive.
“We feel good about the organization’s history of more than five decades of providing EMS service for the community. We are proud of the progress that we have made and the work that our crews continue to do. But our ranks are thin among providers and drivers and among those who do the administrative work. At this time, we think that we are vulnerable,” said Cline.
Cline said that the ambulance service board of directors came up with the idea of possibly having a task force compromised of members of both Tremont and Southwest Harbor select boards, the two town managers if they are available, fire department members, and the ambulance service to think about what the best way forward is for the safety and security of the community.
The service’s board believes that the long-term health of the ambulance service for Southwest Harbor and Tremont needs to involve collaboration between the two towns, the ambulance service, and the fire departments.
Previous to the December 2 presentation, Cline had met with Tremont Town Manager Jesse Dunbar, Southwest Harbor Town Manager Karen Redderson, Tremont Select Board Chair Jaime Thurlow, and Tremont Select Board Vice Chair McKenzie Jewett regarding the possible formation of a joint committee to help navigate the future of the ambulance service.
The ambulance service is having a hard time finding employees, whether they be volunteers or paid members.
“That old volunteer model is beginning to fade away. It’s not negative; it’s just the reality,” said Hutchins.
People are busy and have more profitable things to do with their time, it was said. Between that and the training requirements, the ambulance service feels it’s time to try to ascend to a more professional level of operation.
The ambulance service made presentations to both select boards in September outlining plans for staffing going forward. While the roster is currently fairly well staffed, injuries, resignations, and retirements could seriously compromise the ability to fulfill the missions of the ambulance service.
Cline said, “To say let’s just keep on chugging along, we think would be risky and irresponsible.”
“If you take a look at their schedule, I couldn’t believe when I saw their schedule, the same people working shift after shift after shift,” Thurlow said. “I pat everybody on the back for what kind of a job they are doing. It’s just, I mean they are, like you said, Andy, if one of them gets sick or if there was, God forbid, there was an illness of some sort, it leaves everybody wide open.”
It’s so hard nowadays to find anyone to volunteer or to have a second job on top of a full-time job, Thurlow continued. The ambulance service needs a full-time position.
Thurlow went on to mention that Tremont has more residents and more visitors than ever and people expect someone to be on the other end of the phone when they call in an emergency.
There are no ambulance service members whose primary employment is the service. It is the second job for all of them and this leads to a leadership issue, according to Hutchins.
Member Kevin Buck asked if the Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Fire Departments had combined any fire or ambulance services like they had the police departments. Cline responded that they both have independent fire and ambulance services but both departments share John Lennon who is the deputy chief for both departments and is “the czar of ambulance.”
“That is another way for us to be thinking. Should there be an island-wide ambulance service?” Cline asked.
Hutchins said she thinks that there are seven ambulances on the island. If all of the ambulance services on the island were to operate as one unified department, five might be enough, she thought. Given that one ambulance costs $300,000, it’s possible to be more efficient both monetarily and with staffing according to Hutchins.
“What it requires to staff 24/7 could be operated much more efficiently if there were inter-town, interagency responses. It’s how we are going to make it work,” she said.
What the future of the ambulance service is remains to be seen, but the ambulance service believes that it is imperative to start working on possible solutions and collaborations now for the continued safety and well-being of the inhabitants and visitors of both Tremont and Southwest Harbor.
The ambulance service will be making a similar presentation and request to the Southwest Harbor Select Board tonight at 6 p.m.
The select board voted unanimously to authorize the town manager to work with the Southwest Harbor town manager to draft possible bylaws for the proposed joint committee.
Commercial Driver’s License Class
Tremont needs to have one of its employees acquire a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Rather than have the employee take a course offsite, Dunbar has contracted with a private instructor to hold a class at the town office.
The town is opening up this training opportunity to local businesses who have a need for employees to acquire a CDL license. Students must be sponsored by a local business. The training will be for a class “B” CDL and is currently scheduled to be given during the week of January 6, 2025. The cost is $2,500 per student and any interested businesses/parties should contact the town office for more information.
Right to Fish Policy
A Climate to Thrive has been helping Tremont’s Sustainability Committee look at certain town ordinances, rules, and regulations pertaining to commercial fishing and boating in an effort to make sure that these historically significant industries are preserved.
Concerns expressed in recent years (such as coastal development and some areas of the community not wanting certain things to happen, such as lobster traps being stored in fishermen’s yards) led the groups to feel these industries could be threatened and that it is important to protect the commercial fishing and boating industries of Tremont from possible movements to try and prevent these sorts of activities.
In response, the groups created a Right to Fish Policy to reaffirm the town’s support of these industries and to help educate community members on the history and importance of them.
“The policy appears to be in line with many aspects of the (town’s) comprehensive plan and formally establishes the town’s commitment to the commercial fishing heritage that the community is known for,” wrote Town Manager Jesse Dunbar.
The select board voted unanimously to adopt and sign the Town of Tremont Right to Fish Policy as proposed.
American Rescue Plan Act Funds
The town has approximately $27,000 in unallocated ARPA funds. These funds are required to be designated for a specific spending designation by December 31 of this year. They do not have to be spent until December 31 of 2026.
Dunbar suggested that the remaining monies be designated for employee wages, benefits, and training.
Fire Chief Keith Higgins suggested that the money be spent on something more physically tangible such as rehabilitation of dry fire hydrants or engineering for the new public safety building.
After discussion, it was unanimously voted to use $5,000 of the money for the heating assistance reserve and $22,000 for personnel expenses.
Budget Encumbrances
The select board voted unanimously to encumber $38,000 from the FY24 administration budget to the FY25 administration budget to help cover the added expenses of the full-time code enforcement officer position.
FY26 Budget Preparation
Dunbar asked the select board if they had any specific requests for the upcoming budget year preparation. There were no new requests made.
The next Tremont Select Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 16, at 5 p.m. in the Harvey Kelly Meeting Room.
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