GILL — The Selectboard approved an agreement with Northfield EMS for ambulance services during its Monday meeting.

The agreement would allow Gill 24-hour emergency medical services with an annual assessment of $15,000. Pending approval at Annual Town Meeting, service would begin on July 1 of this year and continue through June 30, 2024, with an opportunity for periodic extensions throughout a period of 25 years.

The Gill Selectboard was prompted by a May 2022 letter from the Franklin County Emergency Medical Services Committee to contract with an ambulance service or pay a $350 fee per service. The town has held only informal agreements with surrounding EMS agencies previously.

“Historically, Franklin County had agencies that grew and provided ambulance services under a handshake for the county,” Matt Wolkenbreit, president of the Franklin County Emergency Medical Services Committee, said in May. “I can say on the record, financially, those ambulance services didn’t succeed with that business model.”

Wolkenbreit further elaborated the situation in a letter to the Gill Selectboard that month.

“There are direct and indirect costs associated with the delivery of EMS services,” Wolkenbreit wrote in his letter. “Agencies must budget operational costs to keep ambulances and the EMTs or paramedics who staff them operational and available to respond. They are, however, only able to bill for the actual transportation of a patient.”

Wolkenbreit went on to explain that if an ambulance responds and a patient declines transportation, there is no reimbursement for the emergency medical services. Meanwhile, the towns that oversee those services are left to pay any fees with taxpayer money or alternative models that vary by agency.

Gill officials reasoned that entering an agreement would be relatively cost-efficient for the town, particularly considering the alternative. The Fire Department expects American Medical Response (AMR), which had previously been in a non-contractual agreement with Gill, to star charging $400 per call for service, which would amount to an annual cost that eclipses the $15,000 assessment due to Northfield EMS.

“Based on your numbers ... it seems like a bargain over here,” Selectboard Chair Charles Gabriel said to Northfield EMS Chief Mark Fortier.

“We’re all neighbors. We try to do what’s best for everybody and do what’s best for the towns,” Fortier said. “From our perspective, if you’re a member of our organization, you’re a priority to us.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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