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Coastal Point Coverage - Ambulance Agreement

Thursday, April 24, 2008

By M. Patricia Titus News Editor Bethany Beach became the final of the so-called “Big Four” communities this week to sign on to a memorandum of understanding with the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company (BBVFC) for the provision of ambulance service through 2019. With a unanimous vote of the Bethany council at their April 18 meeting, the BBFVC now has long-term agreements with officials representing 70 percent of properties in their proposed coverage area. Fire officials have focused on Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island and Sea Colony in making their case for a home-grown ambulance service in recent months, after the announcement that the Millville Volunteer Fire Company would no longer provide service to the Bethany fire district beginning in January of 2009, due to massive population growth in their own fire district. Local fire and municipal officials were not given the solution to the loss of the existing ambulance service as quickly or easily as they had hoped, with Delaware’s State Fire Prevention Commission unable to reach a conclusion as to how to otherwise handle the change and recommending the BBVFC take over the ambulance service for their district. State legislators were also unable pass legislation that would have created a special tax district solely to pay for ambulance service. BBVFC officials stepped up and said they would take on the service themselves, if they could get sufficient support and agreement from local officials. As of last Friday, they have done so. In a series of presentations and meetings with officials from the three towns and the Sea Colony Recreation Association, BBVFC officials worked out the basic elements of an agreement that would guarantee provision of ambulance service to the towns — and their support of the service — for the next 10 years. As currently proposed — though yet to be locked in with a formal agreement of service — each property in the three towns and in Sea Colony would be subject to a $45 annual fee that would be collected with town taxes or other annual fees to their governing bodies. The funds collected would go to the BBVFC’s new ambulance service, which has just eight months to get its equipment and personnel in place. The annual fee is a change from how the Millville company has traditionally garnered much of its funds — through voluntary membership and related annual voluntary contributions of $30 or more per household, in addition to other fundraising and government grants. Those who pay for the Millville membership are entitled to ambulance service at no additional cost, while those who are not members must pay full rates to the company. The mandatory assessment toward the BBVFC ambulance service will ensure that all businesses and residences in the district are covered, even if the people living or staying in them are not the property owner or the person who paid the annual fee. That means even those renting weekly in the coastal towns’ many rental properties will be entitled to ambulance service without additional cost, should they need it. Ambulance personnel are some of the few emergency responders associated with the area’s fire companies who are paid for their service. Nearly all of the area’s firefighters volunteer their efforts and take on the risks associated with their jobs with no monetary compensation. That has led to a shortage of firefighters for some of the companies in recent years and the standard of paid ambulance personnel — one of the many costs of establishing the new ambulance service in coastal Sussex County. The BBVFC’s start-up costs to provide ambulance service have been estimated to be roughly $500,000, with an annual operating tag of nearly $300,000. Those final numbers are still being determined, with reminders at the passage of the memorandum of understanding by the Bethany council last Friday that exact details are yet to be formalized. Still, the $45 annual fee is considered to be a likely figure. Bethany Beach Councilman Joseph Healy did state some concerns about the BBVFC’s finances in discussing the agreement on April 18. He said he had been working the BBVFC’s Bob Minutoli to get some financial details that would allow him to better analyze the department’s financial situation. He also expressed reservations about signing a 10-year agreement with the department, saying that he had been told five-year agreements were relatively standard. Still, council members were decisively in favor of the agreement. “It’s an excellent agreement,” declared Councilman Tracy Mulligan. Vice-Mayor Tony McClenny praised Town Manager Cliff Graviet and Mayor Carol Olmstead for the hours they have spent meeting with the BBVFC and working out the details of the agreement. Councilman Bob Parsons also thanked the fire company and pointed out the agreement as one indication that sometimes local officials can accomplish things even those at the state level failed to do. “The legislators couldn’t get it done. [The fire commission] couldn’t get it done,” he said. “Tonight, we’re going to get it done. With that, the council cast its unanimous vote favoring the agreement.