|
|
 
|
 |
New ambulance contractor selected; BEAR to begin July 1 |
by Steve Dills and Carson Papke
Sylvan Lake News
The town is about to ink a new contract for ambulance service.
Councillors considered various requests for proposal submissions during a closed camera session of their meeting, Apr. 28, before making a decision.
They passed a motion to select Basic Emergency Aid and Rescue Services Ltd. (BEAR) when they resumed the open session of the meeting. The motion also called for a budget adjustment in the amount of $73,191 to be taken from the operating reserve.
“The contract is being finalized,” said Dennis Krill, director of protective services, on Monday.
He indicated it’s very similar to the requirements of the current contract with Guardian Ambulance to provide ALS (Advanced Life Support) and BLS (Basic Life Support) services with BLS supplemented by fire department EMRs (emergency medical responders).
Councillors passed a motion to give Guardian Ambulance 180 days notice to terminate the current agreement, following a 35 minute closed camera session at their Jan. 14 meeting. The action was taken after Guardian became unable to meet contract requirements for ALS service.
The motion also directed administration to request proposals for an ambulance service to provide 24 hours a day 365 days per year ALS and BLS service.
Councillors had held several closed door discussions dating back as far as last August, before taking action to terminate the contract.
The new company begins ambulance service in Sylvan Lake at 12:01 a.m. on July 1st, said Krill.
Red Deer County councillors approved the contract for ambulance services to BEAR, at their meeting Tuesday.
It will raise the per capita cost of service to $37. The increase of $12.46 per capita will increase the county’s budget by $32,246.48. The county receives $29.33 per capita from the provincial government for ambulance service and now will seek more funding.
Red Deer County and Sylvan Lake are reliant on each other to have the same ambulance provider because there is not enough volume within the county to allow a separate service provider, said Ric Henderson, Red Deer County’s director of Community and Protective Services. He indicated that other places are paying up to $40 per capita for service and the ambulance service from BEAR is comparable to other municipalities.
“The benefits are extremely important to have this life support,” said councillor Jim Wood. “It is something the county can not go without.”
The county and Sylvan Lake will have their own separate agreement so that if BEAR cannot fill their obligation the county could look for another company to service the 20 per cent service area they cover. |
|
