Woolwich voters will decide whether to continue funding the town’s 24/7 ambulance service, or have the City of Bath take on the job. Selectmen discussed a proposal with Bath Fire & Rescue Chief Lawrence “Buddy” Renaud Wednesday afternoon, March 29 at the town office.

“Our intention would be to offer both options and let voters decide at the annual town meeting on May 16,” said David King Sr., select board chairman. Woolwich Fire Chief Sean Merrill was present for the discussion, but Brian Carlton, Woolwich EMS director, and Selectman Allison Hepler were not able to attend.

Last year, voters raised $289,788 for ambulance service that included an $56,500 increase in the department’s payroll line. But King said the department has struggled to maintain its membership. He said finding and keeping emergency medical technicians, advanced EMTs and paramedics was becoming a “dog eat dog” competition. “We train people, then they go someplace else where they can earn more money,” he commented.

Renaud said Woolwich’s situation is not unique, and many smaller communities were struggling to continue offering emergency services. “My hat’s off to what you’ve done already but it’s getting tougher.” If voters decide to sign on with Bath Fire & Rescue, Renaud promised the same service his department was providing to residents of Bath, West Bath and Arrowsic.

Bath Fire & Rescue offered two proposals: One was becoming Woolwich’s primary 24/7 ambulance service provider, the other serving as a backup provider to the town. Either way, Renaud said the charge would be the same, $485 per ambulance call, with the understanding there would be an annual increase based on the Consumer Price Index. Requests for a second ambulance on the same call would be subject to an additional $485 charge. Cancellation of a call while an ambulance was en route or when no service was rendered, would be billed at half the rate, $242.50. Under either proposal, added Renaud, Woolwich would be responsible for all uncollected fees.

Renaud said the contracted amount for hiring Bath Fire & Rescue depended on how many calls selectmen anticipated for the coming fiscal year, and what they thought was needed to cover uncollectible fees. Selectman Tommy Davis who has been working with Carlton on a 2023-24 EMS budget figured Woolwich was on pace for 350 ambulance calls next year. Carlton initially made three different budget proposals for the coming fiscal year.

“We worked together most of the weekend on a fourth proposal.” Davis told Wiscasset Newspaper. Davis said Carlton had reduced his initial 2023-24 projected budget roughly $90,000.

Selectman Jason Shaw acknowledged the difficulty of coming up with dollar amounts for voters to consider. “The select board has always appreciated what our ambulance personnel and first responders have done for our town,” he told Wiscasset Newspaper. “Our plan is to meet with Carlton and hear what his final budget proposal is for continuing the ambulance service as it is now.”

“Based on 350 ambulance calls next year, we figured the proposal from Bath Fire & Rescue will be about $169,750,” continued Shaw. “We’ve added to that amount another $50,000 to cover the anticipated uncollectibles, which is more than what we think we’ll need. That gives us a figure of $219,750 for 2023-24.” Shaw stressed the number was still preliminary adding that selectmen would not finalize and vote on the amount to appear on the town meeting warrant until after they discuss it with Hepler.

Hepler, who is also House District 53 representative, was attending legislative business in Augusta and could not be present for Wednesday’s discussion.