Ambulance stand-by time costs money

MOSES LAKE - Stopping non-emergency ambulance transports won't save Moses Lake money, City Manager Joe Gavinski reported.

The report followed a January study session about the ambulance service, the city manager told the council at a recent meeting. 

The service, run by the Moses Lake Fire Department, had a $750,000 deficit in 2010.

The council approved an $8.25 per month ambulance utility fee in December to help pay for the service, which Gavinski previously stated is expected to cost $2.6 million in 2011.

"There was one question that was left unanswered, and that was, 'Well, what would happen if the city didn't do the non-emergency transports?'" Gavinski said. "The finance director, I, (and) the fire chief sat around and looked at the data, the information, the statistics and determined that eliminating the non-emergency transports would not help the deficit, or the net loss situation, or the need for less contribution from the general fund."

Gavinski explained the time when ambulance workers are waiting for a call is the real cost. Stopping the non-emergency transports would increase the amount of stand-by time.

"Your stand-by time generates no money at all," he said. "Where at least on an out-of-town transport or an in-town transport, you are generating some money."

Mayor Jon Lane asked if the utility fee was covering the service's costs.

Gavinski said staff will have a report about the fee at the next meeting.

"The fire chief did also report in this last quarter, we had increased our collections over what we did last year, so if things continue it may look better," he said. "The quarter is one reading. It gets better with a half of a year. It gets much better with three-quarters of a year. By the end of the year, you'll know."

Councilmember Dick Deane said it seemed like the council had two choices, either keep the service as it is, or go with a private vendor.

"There's no middle ground on this?" he asked.

Gavinski said the city didn't have any middle ground on the issue.

"It's either keep it all, or go to a private service," he said.