The ingredients for merger of Allen County and Iola ambulance services may have thickened Tuesday morning.
City Administrator Carl Slaugh, in one of his frequent visits to county commission meetings, asked what challenges might arise if “the county takes over all fire and EMS” services.
Funny he should ask, was Commission Chairman Dick Works’ take on the question.
“We talked about that” in 2005 after a survey of fire protection in the county was done by Kansas Forest Service Fire Management specialists, Works said, and mused, “we need to look at the report again, see what it had to say.”
“It would work if (all) were merged” and responders “had dual roles,” Slaugh said.
But, when asked if Iola’s council members might be willing to pursue such a plan, Slaugh allowed he was “just one (person) and I don’t have a vote.”
Negotiations on a merger of ambulance service was turned over to employees of the two services. The plan they came up with, which apparently would keep all staff in place and not reduce costs, will be made public at a sub-committee meeting April 29.
That’s a sticking point for county commissioners, and Slaugh, who have envisioned a plan that would cut costs by as much as $300,000. The county this year will spend $1.3 million on ambulance service; the city more than $1 million for fire and ambulance.
Iola has a full-time paid fire department with 18 members, and will have 19 when a person is hired to replace one who recently was terminated.
Until recently the department’s full complement was 16 members, including supervisors, but increased by three courtesy of a Safer Grant from the Department of Homeland Security, which permitted hiring three additional firefighters for two years.
Iola firefighters answer calls in rural areas near Iola. The rest of Allen County and its towns are protected by volunteers. The firefighters also perform EMS duties inside the city with two ambulances housed at the fire station.
Allen County has 18 full-time ambulance personnel, who operate ambulances from Iola, Humboldt and Moran.
An ambulance merger has been on the table since discussions started more than three years ago after Gary McIntosh and Rob Francis were elected to the county commission.
The next face-to-face session of full county and city bodies will be May 6.
Putting in fire stalls discussion
