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Township board continues ambulance service discussion

Lyn Durant, supervisor, Marquette Township

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Township Board has unanimously directed its staff to gather additional information surrounding the potential purchase of an ambulance that would be operated by its fire department, and is expected to schedule a public hearing soon when board members will consider increasing the existing special assessment levy imposed on taxpayers.

In several recent meetings, township officials have discussed purchasing a used ambulance for between $30,000 and $50,000. Members of the Marquette Township Fire Department would then use the vehicle to transport medical patients to the hospital, allowing it the ability to receive some revenue through insurance companies.

“Basically, that range of $30,000 to $50,000, you’re talking about … .15 to .25 mill, which is between 15 and 25 cents per thousand dollars of taxable value,” Marquette Township Manager Randy Girard said.

The township currently has a special assessment levy of 2.5 mills for fire services that is in place through 2022.

“A property valued at $200,000 — a home or business or whatever — would have a taxable value of $100,000, so (the increase) would cost between $15 and $25 — one time, per taxpayer — to fund this and the vehicle would be paid off,” Supervisor Lyn Durant said.

Fire Chief Ron DeMarse said his department would use the money to purchase the ambulance and outfit it with appropriate equipment, such as a gurney and oxygen tank, as well as consumable supplies to meet state licensing requirements.

The fire department’s emergency medical services calls have doubled in the past decade, rising from just under 100 in 2006 to around 200 last year, according to township documents.

Reports indicate the majority of the department’s EMS calls received in the past five years have generally occurred between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

To provide coverage during the high-volume periods, DeMarse said the department’s three full-time employees may move their daily work schedule from the current shift of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to later in the day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“That will cover 90 percent of our high-volume time,” he said. “We’re running all EMS calls now, we just don’t have the ability to transport. Without the ability to transport, we don’t have the ability to bill the insurance companies.”

Outside of normal business hours, similar to the township’s fire response, the ambulance service would operate as an on-call program due to the fire department’s staffing structure.

Based on past call data spanning from 2013 to 2016, and possible related insurance reimbursements, township officials project the annual revenue from the ambulance service to be around $45,400.

However, officials have said they don’t expect to make any money, and in a memo to board members Girard wrote the “service may only be a break-even service at best.”

The department has 14 first responders who are trained emergency medical technicians, and it is licensed to provide basic life support services, such as assisting a person who may have suffered a fall. The licensing allows the department to transport patients as long as it has the appropriate vehicle, officials said, which further qualifies the township to receive reimbursements through insurance companies.

More serious medical situations, such as seizures or cardiac issues, require assistance from an entity certified to provide advanced life support.

However, DeMarse said in the past that if the township’s ambulance was the first to arrive on scene, it would act as the transporting vehicle while an EMT capable of providing advanced support would accompany the patient in the township’s ambulance.

Township officials said unlike a millage proposal, an existing special assessment levy can be changed by board decision, as opposed to being placed on a public ballot. However, a public hearing must first be held. The board may schedule a date for the hearing at its May 2 meeting.

Ryan Jarvi can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 270. His email address is rjarvi@miningjournal.net.

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