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Show Followingambulance rollover Just when the county commissioners com-missioners thought all of their ambulance am-bulance problems were over, with the initiation of the volunteer hospital-based hospital-based ambulance service, here comes a parade of problems. Supervisor of the ambulance service ser-vice met with the commissioners Wednesday to discuss alternatives for replacing the county's incapacitated in-capacitated backup ambulance, A New Year's Eve roll-over limits the ambulance service's vehicles to one, although most of the equipment inside the wrecked unit was pulled out intact. Both Susan Taysom, ambulance am-bulance service coordinator, and the commissioners agreed a back-up unit is needed. Options listed Options lisled by Miss Taysom for a back-up unit were: to purchase a used unit, such as the repossessed unit presently owned by a Cedar City bank; to purchase a van and equip it to meet state standards; to purchase a new unit, similar to the recently acquired modular unit; or a lease agreement with an ambulance manufacturer to rent a totally equipped unit. A second unit is needed to keep the ambulance service self supporting, Miss Taysom said, due to the revenues received from long transfers. tran-sfers. Since the ambulance service was created in November, 21 patients have been transferred out of the county, she added. The hospital has also contacted nearby communities with health care facilities, such as Milford, Fillmore, Kanab and Washington County, and the possibility exists to offer a transfer service for those hospitals, Miss Taysom said, using the back-up unit. A van unit would cost about $4200, plus equipment, a new unit would cost about $18,000, and the lease agreement would be about $450 - $700 per month, Miss Taysom said. Present back-up used A unit purchased by Brian Head City (used, from Wendover) has presently been equipped and is being used for a back-up, she added. The commissioners took Miss Taysom's report under advisement and asked her to get written formal letters from other southern Utah hospitals concerning the traasfer service that could be offered. In other ambulance-oriented business, Miss Taysom brought the commission up to date on the possibility of a paramedics program in Iron County. She called the idea "financially feasible", while the commissioners indicated it may be "down the road a while." "We don't want a service that is backward," Miss Taysom said. "Treatment very often needs to be given on the scene, which paramedics can do. And now there is funding available for the program." Presently state and federal funds half the cost of the burden of setting up and training 10 paramedics for the county. need breakdown The commissioners asked for an estimation of cost and revenues for the next commission meeting. The commissioners did establish a salary and ordered a job description for Steve Gadegaard, who was selected to be the new coordinator of the ambulance service. Four hundred dollars per month will be given Gadegaard for scheduling EMT's, training, servicing the vehicles and supervision of the volunteer service, which up to now Miss Taysom has coordinated. |