NORTHFIELD — EMS Chief Mark Fortier thinks a secure future for his ambulance department rests with its neighbors.
Fortier, who said a conversation about regionalization of emergency medical services is just starting, sees such an expansion as solving issues of funding and staffing that the department now faces.
Unlike Northfield’s police and fire departments, Northfield EMS is totally funded by its own revenue, the only exception being the town’s purchase of an ambulance last year. Northfield is paying for the ambulance — a 2017 model that replaced one built in 1993 — in five yearly installments, the second of which will be completed this year, Fortier said.
Because Northfield EMS is essentially self-sufficient, its financial ability is limited if it only serves Northfield, since the department can only spend as much money as it makes through the use of its two ambulances. A larger service area would generate more revenue, which would solve the department’s staffing problem and enable it to provide higher-quality and more consistent service, Fortier said.
Northfield EMS is staffed by volunteers.
“Right now, I only have money in my budget for eight hours a day, seven days a week,” Fortier said. “Unfortunately, people get sick 24 hours a day, not eight hours a day. … The volunteers do a fantastic job, but people have jobs, they have families, they have work, and you can’t always get a crew out 100 percent of the time.”
The only other options for supporting a better staffing model, Fortier said, would be to cut expenses or to fund Northfield EMS through taxes.
Fortier was initially approached by the Bernardston Board of Fire Engineers about Northfield EMS potentially providing its services to Bernardston. He has since been contacted by officials in Gill, too.
“If you look at Franklin County, regionalized services are the norm,” Fortier said. “In order for it to be financially viable, you have to cover enough geographic area.”
At this point, the idea is only being discussed. There is no plan yet for Northfield EMS to expand.
Fortier presented the idea to the Selectboard last week. Selectboard members were generally supportive, but expressed concern that Northfield residents could feel they would be subsidizing Bernardston, since the ambulance was paid for by Northfield.
Fortier said before Northfield EMS can expand to cover Bernardston, the Bernardston Board of Fire Engineers would have to vote to enter into a contract with Northfield EMS for coverage. The two selectboards would likely have to come to some understanding, he said.
“I’m ready to move forward with it whenever everybody else is ready to move forward with it,” Fortier said.
In recent years, the towns of Deerfield, Whately and Sunderland merged their ambulance services into a regional EMS operation that will soon be based in South Deerfield in a new building. The merger of ambulances from those three towns was also to improve finances and coverage and, so far, seems to be fulfilling that promise.
Contact Max Marcus at 413-772-0261, ext. 261, or at mmarcus@recorder.com