Ambulance board reports steady call volumes, faster arrivals and improved collections

Tim Brown, a member of the ambulance board, presented a quarterly report covering Oct. 1–Mar. 30 that showed steady call volumes, improved response metrics and stronger cash collections.

Brown said the ambulances averaged roughly 600 calls per month and that the system's arrival times are a minute or so faster than the national eight‑minute benchmark for ambulance response. He noted that fire engines often arrive first with paramedics and that the ambulance arrival metric measures when the ambulance itself arrives.

The board described operational improvements after the purchase and deployment of Medic 5 and Medic 6, which reduced the need for mutual aid and allowed regular vehicle maintenance without service gaps. On overlapping calls, Brown said the agency still sees multiple simultaneous calls at times but that the trend improved in the most recent quarter.

On finances, Brown reported cash collections of $1,612,751 for the covered period, roughly $300,000 more than the same period last year, and said cash per trip increased to $5.83. He credited improved documentation and billing by the agency’s vendor for higher collections and thanked council for capital investments in ambulances.

The council and fire chief echoed praise for the crews and the board. No policy changes or additional appropriations were requested during the presentation.