First responders from Riverside EMS were paged for a squad run about 7:45 a.m. today to a residence on Church Street in DeGraff in response to a man in his 50s with a history of heart troubles.
But it was a crew from Robinaugh EMS that eventually responded to the scene, over 20 minutes after the initial call for service.
That’s the case for about half to a third of all dispatched calls for service for Riverside EMS — they end up getting referred for mutual aid from a neighboring agency.
As is the case with volunteer fire and EMS departments everywhere, it’s become increasingly difficult for Riverside EMS to maintain a full roster of volunteer first responders that are available to respond promptly in the event of an emergency.
To guarantee service and improve response times, council members for the village of DeGraff, as well as officials for the Riverside EMS agency have begun exploring the possibility of instituting a full-time, paid emergency ambulance squad district.
Leaders for Riverside EMS told DeGraff council members in a regular meeting Tuesday that the EMS district is considering forming a full-time ambulance district and putting a property tax levy on the November 2020 ballot to fund the initiative.
A Riverside EMS ambulance district would be modeled after similar, full-time districts such as the Indian Lake and Macochee joint ambulance districts.
Officials from the Macochee Joint Ambulance District attended Tuesday’s meeting at the request of council to discuss the possibility of DeGraff and surrounding area joining the West Liberty-based squad district.
Average response times for a Macochee squad into the village of DeGraff would take between 12 and 16 minutes, council members were told.
Indian Lake EMS has also been consulted about the possibility of expanding its existing territory to service the DeGraff area. Under that arrangement, Indian Lake EMS would set up a station within the village that would be staffed full-time by at least one first responder.
Riverside EMS representatives reported Tuesday that trustees from Miami and Pleasant townships have expressed support for a full-time Riverside EMS squad district.
A new squad district for Riverside EMS would service Miami and Pleasant townships, encompassing the villages of Quincy and DeGraff.
Minimum cost to introduce full-time EMS first response in the DeGraff-Quincy area could cost the owner of a $100,000 property between $50 and $75 per year on their property taxes, according to discussion.
Council members seek input from the community about what kind of, if any, additional levy they would support to ensure full-time EMS service.
The next regular meeting is 7 p.m., Jan. 7., at the village building.