On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the Waterville City Council will meet to discuss the future of how the city utilizes Delta Ambulance as a primary transport service by considering whether to overturn Mayor Nick Isgro’s veto. In the wake of this decision, Vassalboro first responders would like to offer our unwavering support for Delta Ambulance.
For 47 years Delta has provided high-quality non-for-profit paramedic-level service at no cost to the property taxpayers of the 17 communities that rely on its services, all the while promoting a strong two-tiered system, an effective collaboration of the very fabric of each community: a town’s fire departments and rescue squad.
First responders are the dedicated professionals from within our communities who provide initial care for those life-threatening emergencies where time is a factor, such as cardiac arrest and allergic reaction. In addition to specialty and expert technical ability, the very presence of our community public servants often time provides a reassuring and familiar face to those in crisis.
It is this very partnership that drastically reduces the door-to-door response time to the patient, from the moment 911 is activated to the arrival of a paramedic.
Under the auspices of a user-fee system Delta Ambulance continues to look out for the best interest of the local property taxpayer with minimal impact on the local infrastructure spending. Removing or even suggesting the removal of major communities from of our regional EMS system will have negative implications as it applies to the continuity of service, property taxes, system dynamics and response.
The regressive nature of the property tax and the correlation towards the day-to-day existence of our most vulnerable members within our communities — those who are elderly and/ or on a fixed income — may mean rises in property taxes will cause unintended consequences for or existential threats to that very population.
The Vassalboro First Responder Service respectfully requests that the city of Waterville, and perhaps the town of Winslow too, to consider all of the information available, including the upcoming system assessment by the consulting firm Fitch and Associates, when deciding on the future of our regionalized system. They should consider the untoward effects that may result from a decision to create a new municipal system.
This 47-year experiment in regionalization, created within the heart of Waterville, has successfully provided all our citizens with a proven body of work built on the foundation of compassion, leadership and excellence.
Simply put, Delta Ambulance as a regionalized system, works. Please consider the outcome of this decision and how it will impact the system as a whole.
Christopher J. French, EMT-P, wrote this on behalf of the Vassalboro First Responder Service.
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