Discussions regarding the ambulance service continue between the Kimball County Commissioners, their attorney Robert Brenner,  current ambulance service director Jim O‘Brien, and hopeful competitor Carla Goransen, with more than two years of past short-term extensions to the current contract.

Goransen said she believes the only the board can go is to run the ambulance service themselves if they want all the information they are asking for.

“I think it's all about accountability. The county board, being tax-based has to account where the money goes. A contractor doesn't have to disclose that kind of information,”Goransen added, “I'm anxious for the board to make a decision one way or another so we can all move forward.”

“We need to tell them to get this resolved and to do it now. We (the ambulance service) need to change with the times,” O’Brien said, “I’d like the commissioners to sit down and answer the questions for me and everyone.”

Chairman of the board of commissioners, Dave Bashaw explained in a phone interview that the proposed contract is something the board has been working to put together for quite some time to comply with state and regional rules and regulations.

The county board is considering working with a board or committee of knowledgeable people to assist with those rules, Bashaw said.

He went on to say that both Goransen and O’Brien have had input into the proposed contract.

“We are looking to protect the taxpayers as well as everyone needing the service,” Bashaw said.

O’Brien said that at this point, he does not feel the commissioners are treating him very fairly. He explained that the extensions cause him hardship and leaves the ambulance staff unsure of their jobs and feeling unsettled.

He said he was disappointed with the latest discussions during the regular commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 19, and doesn’t feel they got very far.

When asked if he was prepared to continue extending the contract on the same type of short-term basis, O’Brien said, “I don’t have an answer to that. It shouldn’t be done.”

He added that at the end of 2010 the ambulance service returned some $20,000 to the county in addition to the extra $30,000 they built into the budget in case it was needed, for a total of $50,000 returned money.

“I know how to run an ambulance service,” O’Brien said, “and we ran completely in the black.”

As for the proposed contract, O’Brien said it is full of ridiculous stuff and it sounds like the county would like the service to be fully county owned.

O’Brien expressed concerns with the slow nature of the board and how that would translate to the fast-paced, ever-changing health care field.

 

Issues with the current contract are unknown to him, O’Brien said, he shared with the board everything they asked for and he doesn’t know what the issues are.

“I want to see them become accountable,” O’Brien added, “If there’s an issue I want to know what it is and the citizens have the right to know.”

“Our business is caring for the sick and injured and doing it at the best possible price for the community,” O’Brien said, “If they want a change I’d like to know what it is and why.”

Goransen said there is an article in the proposed contract that may be a deal maker or a deal breaker. According to Goransen, that article mandates anyone operating the ambulance must abstain from alcohol 48 hours prior to service.

She went on to say that Brenner said he found that the industry standard after extensive research.

“I feel the basis is correct,” Goransen added, “But the number of hours is excessive. It's impossible with a volunteer staff.”

When asked in a later phone interview if the proposed contract contained language prohibiting alcohol consumption 36 or 48 hours prior to serving on the ambulance, commissioner Larry Brower answered, “Yeah, but it’s not approved yet. The final decision is up to us, but it’s not concrete. Carla (Goransen) and Jim (O’Brien) have input and our attorney, as well as ambulance personnel.”

Goransen said that in past talks with other ambulance services, she has found eight hours to be the mandatory time limit after consuming alcohol.

She said she further researched Federal Aviation Administration regulations and found that even pilots must abstain from alcohol for just eight hours prior to reporting for duty.

“It's common sense that EMTs are not going to endanger lives, or their license by responding under the influence,” Goransen added.

“I don’t know if it is standard or not,” Brower answered, “It’s up to us if we want it to be that strict or not.”